James Potter and the Werewolf
by Sirius1
Summary: James Potter returns to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for a fresh year full of homework, mischief, heirs and Quidditch practices. But there is a horrific secret overshadowing one of his very close friends ... what will the general reaction b
1. The Werewolf (1)

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# Together Forever

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**Chapter 2: The Werewolf**

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I'm back. Already! This has not taken me long at all, 'cause it's only an intro. I've started planning the actual story, though I think you can grasp most of it from the title. By the way, I would read The Blue Unicorn before you read this, as this is the sequel. Oh yeah, and nothing belongs to me except Blackbury, the observatory, Katie, referring to Snape as a genetically-modified rat-type creature, and anything else you don't recognise as JKR's. Also, special thanks to Topaz, who is currently the only person to have reviewed all of Blue Unicorn. Read and, er, review.

The old observatory in Blackbury was not what the five hundred or so inhabitants of the village would call 'normal'. The people living there were considered very strange, and were hardly ever seen. The postal service had long ago given up on the house; theoretically, it had no communication with the outside world.

The observatory itself was a large, run-down building. It had once been an important station for planetary research, but its telescope had been removed long ago, and it had been converted into a house.A large garden surrounded the building, running all the way around it. The walls around the building were high, and covered in moss, so the grounds were invisible from the outside. Many young boys of the village had attempted to climb this wall, but it seemed that whenever they reached the top they had a sudden psychological urge to return to the ground.

Therefore, all of the citizens of Blackbury had dubbed the house 'creepy', and people were more than willing to avoid it. There were some rumours that it was haunted, but owners of the house had definitely been spotted, albeit from a distance. 

Though these people were considered strange, the worst anyone thought was that they were a family of transients, or possibly gypsies. Neither of these came close to the truth. The family living at the observatory were the Potters – Stuart Potter, his wife Susan, and their son, James. It was true that the Potters were not a 'normal' family. There was a simple reason why they kept themselves hidden from the outside world. The Potters were, quite simply, wizards.

James Potter was now a twelve-year old wizard, fresh from his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A year ago, James had received a letter from Hogwarts informing him that he had a place there. He had spent the past year, along with his best friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew – at Hogwarts, and was happily anticipating his return. 

However, their last year hadn't been all fun. The four friends had managed to get themselves caught up in an exploit that had been going on for nearly thirty years, and they hadn't managed to prevent the tragic death of one person, and the escape of the murderer. That, in James' mind, was a long time ago, and he had done his best to eradicate it from his memory – it had certainly been a terrible experience. 

It was lucky that on the sunny Tuesday afternoon when our story starts, none of the villagers had succumbed to the temptation of climbing the walls surrounding the observatory, because an incredible sight would have met their eyes. Four young boys, hardly even teenagers, playing hide and seek – nothing amazing about that, except that one boy was flying, on the back of a broomstick, whilst looking for his friends.

These four boys – James, Sirius, Remus and Peter – were indeed lucky that no one was spying on them. James' three friends were visiting his house for the last two weeks of the holidays. At present, James was gliding on the back of his dad's old broomstick – a Lightspeed 1 – searching for Sirius amongst the bushes. Remus and Peter, having already been tracked down, were talking animatedly on the lawn in front of the house. Within a few minutes, James and Sirius had joined them, both laughing.

'You bloody cheat!' said Sirius laughing. 'Since when are you allowed to use a broom?'

'Since I went and got it out and started using it,' said James, grinning. 'Why?' he added innocently.

'Cheat,' Sirius muttered. 'No good, dirty, rotten…'

'Sirius darling, you flatter me,' said James sarcastically. He laughed, and looked round at his three friends. Sirius, a few inches taller than last year, had jet-black hair and glittering brown eyes. He also usually had a large grin plastered across his face. Remus was quite a bit taller than Sirius, with light brown hair and blue eyes. Remus always seemed to carry a somewhat apprehensive look, as though something was constantly bothering him (a/n No comment). Peter was the smallest of the group, with small, watery grey eyes and lightly coloured hair. Peter was a very cheerful person, and a smile usually adorned his face. James himself was just a few inches smaller than Remus, with messy black hair and glasses covering a pair of bright blue eyes. James was a very laid back person, which came in handy for restraining Sirius, though he could be serious when the need arose.

The four friends had had an enjoyable holiday. They had spent the first two weeks of it at Sirius' house, and the next two at Peter's. James had celebrated his twelfth birthday at Sirius' – July 15th. Remus' house was too small to accommodate all four of them. There was only a week left before their return to Hogwarts, and they had arranged to go up to Diagon Alley together a few nights before their departure to get their things and to return to their respective homes. Unfortunately, Remus had to return home a week early to visit his mother who was still ill. At the start of the holidays he had arrived at Sirius' a week late for the same reason. He was due to leave the next morning.

The four of them whiled away the afternoon by helping Remus pack, and talking spiritedly about their imminent return to Hogwarts.

'Ooh,' said Sirius. 'Can't wait to see rat boy again, can you Jamesy?' 

'Course not. Poor Snapey, I wonder if he misses us?'

'What, if he misses our torturous ways?' asked Remus, grinning.

'Precisely,' said James and Sirius in unison.

'Torturous ways?' said Peter, laughing. 'I think you need to use a dictionary more often, Remus.' Remus shrugged.

'I wonder what our new teachers will be like,' said Sirius suddenly.

'As long as they're not long lost brothers who want to kill each other, I'm happy,' said James. Remus and Peter nodded – they certainly didn't want a repeat of last year's incident.

'Hopefully one of them will be some deranged psychopath who has a deep enmity towards Slytherins,' said Sirius hopefully.

'Yeah, he could help us torture Snape,' agreed Peter enthusiastically.

'Should be interesting,' said James. 'Who knows? We may have another little adventure.'(a/n I like this dramatic irony stuff).

Presently, Remus had packed his trunk. After dinner, the four boys enjoyed a furious game of exploding snap before going to bed. James was sharing his room with Remus, and Sirius and Peter were sharing the spare room along the corridor. James helped Remus to get his trunk to the door (it was remarkably heavy) so that it was accessible next morning. 

'Remus,' James asked, after they had got into bed. 'You know your mother's ill?'

'Mmm,' came Remus' reply.

'What's wrong with her?'

'Bad memory loss. I think Muggles call it "Alzheimer's" or something. 

'Oh,' said James. 'Fair enough. Does she remember you, then?'

'Yep. That's why I visit her once a month. She recognises me more than my dad. He got special permission from Dumbledore for me to have one day off a month.'

'Fair enough. You do know we're sorry about it Remus. Anything we can do,' said James, clapping him lightly on the back.

'Thanks James,' said Remus, smiling.

Remus' departure the next morning stimulated a flurry of activity at the observatory. He had to leave fairly early, so it was a good thing that he had packed the previous night. Remus' parents, being as they were slightly poor, lived in an ordinary Muggle house in London. James lived further north than this. Therefore, it was difficult for Remus to travel by Floo powder directly to his house. He had arranged with his parents to travel to King's Cross – the station was linked to the Floo network because of platform nine and three-quarters – and his parents would pick him up from there. Though it was probably not necessary for the boys to wake up at eight – Remus was leaving at nine – they still did, so that they could spend a bit of time after breakfast having a few last games of exploding snap. 

Shortly, it was time for Remus to leave. James and Peter managed to help him haul his trunk down the stairs (with Sirius directing them) and into the living room to where the fireplace was. Just before he left, Remus turned to them all.

'Thanks for having me, Mrs. Potter,' he said, before turning to James' dad. 'Thanks, Mr. Potter.'

'Oh, it was nothing, dear,' said James' mother amiably.

'Have a good year at Hogwarts, Remus,' said James' father. 'Don't let these two,' he motioned at James and Sirius, 'corrupt you too much.' The four boys laughed.

'Seeya Pete,' he laughed.

'Later.'

'You too, "Siri"'

'Oh, Remus,' said Sirius, in a falsely high voice. 'You know goodbyes like this make me miserable.' He started pretending to cry. James, Peter and Remus all tapped their heads.

'Bye James. Thanks.'

'No problem. Seeya next week.' Remus took a handful of Floo powder, and, through Sirius' fake tears, managed to shout goodbye.

'Ciao,' yelled Sirius, just as Remus disappeared.

For the rest of the day, James, Peter and Sirius went up to a small grassy knoll near their house to practice flying. James was still something of a natural, and even Sirius and Peter were improving. It was lucky that the hill was far from civilisation – it was in the deserted countryside behind the observatory – as James, Sirius and Peter would have difficulty explaining to Muggles how exactly they could fly on the back of items designed for spring cleaning. When they returned, they were all very tired, so they all opted to go to bed a bit earlier.

The next morning, when the three boys came down to breakfast, James' mother gave them all identical letters, bearing the Hogwarts crest. James' read:

Dear Mr Potter,

Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave platform nine and three-quarters, King's Cross, at eleven o' clock. A list of all the required schoolbooks and equipment is enclosed. As second-years are legitimate to play for their House Quidditch teams, the ownership of broomsticks is permitted.

Yours Sincerely,

Professor M. McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Sirius and Peter's letters were identical except for the obvious fact that they were addressed to Mr. Black and Mr. Pettigrew respectively. James' mother and father had decided to take the three boys up to Diagon Alley on the twenty-ninth of August. This would mean that Sirius and Peter could meet up with their parents.

After a pleasant last two days with Peter and Sirius, August the twenty-ninth came. James' mother woke all of the boys quite early, and soon Sirius and Peter had packed and brought their trunks down to the living room. They were going to travel to Diagon Alley by Floo powder. James' father went first, with the two trunks. He sprinkled some of the powder into the fire and shouted 'Diagon Alley!' at the top of his voice into the glittering emerald flames. He disappeared with a small whoosh.

Sirius was next. Clearing his throat, he approached the towering flames and bellowed 'DIAGON ALLEY!' He too disappeared. Peter then approached the fire, and within a few seconds, he had gone. Then James approached it. He took a deep breath, making sure not to inhale any smoke or ash, and shouted 'Diagon Alley!' Suddenly, he was pulled into the fireplace and was hurtling along at immense speed. He threw out his hands, and suddenly came to a grinding halt, and felt solid ground beneath him. He looked up to see Sirius, grinning at him.

'You took your time,' he said, chuckling.

'Terribly sorry sir. Won't happen again,' said James, grinning. 

A few minutes later, James' mother joined them, and they all turned and began walking towards the snowy white building that was Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Gringotts was where they had arranged to meet Peter and Sirius' parents, and sure enough, when they entered the large doors, they spotted the four of them talking to each other in a corner. The group walked over to them, and Peter and Sirius greeted their parents. Sirius looked especially happy to see his parents, as he hadn't seen them for almost a month.

Presently, all nine of them were standing outside Gringotts, blinking in the sunlight shining down on Diagon Alley. They had all been down to their vaults and extracted their money and were ready to go and buy their things. The three women went off chatting to go and buy robes and books for their sons, and the three men headed back in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. This meant that James, Sirius and Peter were free to wander around Diagon Alley and look at its many shops. They spent nearly ten minutes outside Quality Quidditch Supplies, ogling the Silver Arrow, and quite a long time in the joke shop, Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop. They had already spotted some of their friends from Hogwarts. They had seen Frank Longbottom, buying books with his mother, and they had also seen Michelle Lewis, a Gryffindor girl. They hadn't seen Remus, though, even though they had been looking for him all day. They decided to walk back and have another look in Quality Quidditch Supplies, however, when they were walking past Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, they heard a voice.

'James! Sirius! Peter! Over here!'

They looked around to see three people sitting at one of the tables outside the parlour. It was Remus who had shouted, and he was sitting next to Lily Burns and Katie Evans, two of their fellow Gryffindors. Remus was looking slightly pale, as he always did, but very cheerful. Lily looked quite a bit different. She looked as though she had grown quite a bit over the summer, and she had grown her dark red hair. She still had the same bright green eyes. Katie had already been tall, and she looked much the same as she had last year; she still had blonde hair down to her shoulders. The three of them approached the table.

'Lily m'dear,' said Sirius, as they approached. 'You look simply stunning.' Lily laughed.

'It's a shame the same can't for you, Siri,' she said, laughing, though she also blushed slightly. Sirius noticed this and burst out laughing. James, Remus and Peter again all tapped their heads.

'Good to see you two again,' said James, as they all sat down. 'I've been with certain primitive life forms,' he motioned at Sirius, 'all summer. Had a good holiday?'

'Yeah,' said Katie, laughing. 'I went to Spain, it was great.'

'What about you, Lily?' 

'Yeah, we went to France. It was good, but it would have been better without Petunia. She's become so irritating since I started going to Hogwarts.'

'Ah,' said James. 'Is this your ever-loving sister you are referring to?'

'Ever-hating more like.'

'Oh, Remus, by the way, how's your mum?'

'A little better. She was glad to see me.'

'Did your dad bring you up here?' Remus nodded.

They talked for quite a while with Remus and the girls. Before too long, however, it was time for them to leave. They all promised to meet each other on the Hogwarts Express on the first. James, Sirius and Peter made their way back to Gringotts to where they were meeting their parents.

'Where have you been?' asked James' mother when they returned.

'Talking to some friends,' said James.

After saying all their goodbyes, James and his parents headed back to the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron. James' father took out a pinch of Floo powder, and threw it into the flames. Within a few minutes, all three of the Potters had returned home.

For the sake of keeping this as a kind of intro, I think I will stop here. I have been writing a fair bit of this over Christmas, but I am back at school in two days so the flow of stories may slow down. I would extremely grateful if you could review this, even if nothing has happened yet. The next part will involve the train ride and the sorting (I'll think up a song). You really should review. Tell you what, if you review this, I'll come and review your stories (if you have any). It'll be my own fault if I get fifty reviews, but I can't see it happening. Oh, and if you don't like my story, please review anyway (though you might not get a great review back…)

Ciao.


	2. The Werewolf (2)

Back once again. I was asked in a review for part one of this whether I deliberately made Katie's name Evans and Lily's name Burns. The truth is – unbelievably – that It was a total coincidence – I didn't know about Lily's name until I had uploaded parts one and two of Blue Unicorn, and I was too lazy to change it by then – oh well. Please read and review. James and co. return to Hogwarts. Sirius is a little bit too cheeky for his own good…

James woke extremely early on the morning of the first. He changed into his Muggle clothes, and by seven o' clock he was downstairs eating breakfast. Though it was only two days since he had last seen his friends, James was missing them already. It was hardly surprising – the longest Remus, Sirius or Peter had ever been somewhere without James in the last year was the Christmas or (in Remus' case) Easter holidays.

Presently, James' mother and father joined him, both looking bleary-eyed, as though a few more hours' sleep would do them good. James and his father finally managed to get James' trunk packed, after several unsuccessful attempts at shutting it. Unfortunately, they had run out of Floo powder, so James' father was going to have to drive James up to London in his car. As James' father worked in a department of the Ministry of Magic, his car was not a normal Muggle one – special features had been added to it – such as being able to avoid traffic jams – to make driving much quicker and easier. As the Potters lived in the northern part of England, they had to leave relatively early, to allow James time to get up to London and board the Hogwarts Express.

After James had packed all his important items into his smaller rucksack, such as his wizard's robes and his recently inherited Invisibility Cloak, it was time for them to leave. James' father and mother loaded his heavy trunk into the boot of the car, and all of them got in. They left the house in plenty of time, and during the first part of the journey James' father entertained his wife and son by telling them of the tricks he had played at school using the Invisibility Cloak.

They reached King's Cross half an hour before the Express was due to leave. James mother fetched James a trolley to place his trunk on, and then the three of them made their way over to the solid ticket barrier between platforms nine and ten. James went first. As casually as he could, he leaned onto the barrier, and suddenly the scarlet steam engine materialised in front of him. His mother and father appeared behind him a few minutes later, and the three of them walked along the crowded platform until they reached an empty compartment. Just as James and his father were loading James' trunk onto the train, they heard a familiar voice.

'All right, James?' came Peter's voice. James looked up and saw Peter and Lily walking towards him, with their parents shadowing them. The three of them climbed aboard the train and started talking, as did their parents outside.

Presently, Frank, Sarah, Michelle, Katie and Heather joined them. There was no sign of Sirius or Remus. The eight of them were talking happily up until five to, when there was still no sign of Sirius or Remus. James was wondering what was taking so long. Four minutes to go – three minutes – two – one. Jets of steam were issuing from the train – it was starting to move. James threw his head out of the compartment window, but the station was now only full of waving parents. James shouted to his own parents, but the train was making too much noise for them to hear. Eventually, the train had pulled right out of the station – Remus and Sirius had missed it.

James continued playing chess with Peter. Evidently Remus was off visiting his mum again, but where on earth could Sirius be? The train had now left King's Cross far behind, and was hurtling along at high speed. James heard a small noise, but went back to his game, his mind reeling.

'Trying to leave without us?' came a loud voice. All eight Gryffindors started. They looked up to see Sirius and Remus, both looking exhausted but extremely happy with themselves. They were grinning like Cheshire cats.

'Where were you?' asked James, laughing.

'Getting held up,' said Remus. I met Sirius and his family outside the barrier – my dad dropped me off – at ten to. But then my trunk opened somehow, and everything fell out. We spent almost ten minutes trying to pick things up before the Muggles got suspicious. Sirius' dad fixed it,' he held up his trunk. 'I'm just glad none of the Muggles spotted this,' he held up Hogwarts: A History, 'or we would have had some nasty explaining to do. We just managed to jump onto the end carriage; we've worked our way up here; we guessed you would be at this end.'

'We saw rat boy,' said Sirius suddenly. 'He looked happy to see us.'

'For some reason, the sight of us seemed to upset him,' said Remus thoughtfully. James laughed.

'I'm not surprised. Sirius' face is enough to upset anybody.' Everyone except Sirius laughed.

'You, sah, have insulted my honour,' said Sirius seriously. 'I demand satisfaction, sah.' Pulling a glove out of his pocket, he slapped James around the face with it. James laughed, and pulled out his wand, smiling serenely.

'I think, "sah", that you have insulted _my_ honour. Rictusempra!' Sirius doubled up, and sank to the floor, gasping for breath. James had used the tickling charm, and Sirius could barely move because he was laughing so much.

'Alri – all right,' he gasped. 'I'm so – sorry,' he continued, almost unable to breath. He burst into more laughter, as did everyone around him.

'Roll up! Roll up!' Remus was shouting out of the compartment door. 'Come and see the amazing – Laughing freak!' Presently, there were about seventeen people – mainly Gryffindors, who knew Sirius – standing in the compartment, laughing at Sirius' inability to do anything but laugh himself.

'Glad to see you know how to deal out punishment, James,' said the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, Ben Coates, grinning. James laughed, but silently muttered the counter-curse. Sirius finally managed to stop laughing, much to the dismay of the people who had piled in to see him, who all piled out again. The girls and Frank went back to their Exploding Snap game.

'Damn you and your hyper-intelligence,' Sirius groaned at James.

'Sirius, you flatter me. I have, at present, only achieved super-intelligence.'

'I think I should get rid of my gloves.'

'It's OK if you hit Snapey with them, just don't do it to someone who knows clever curses.'

'Snape was telling me in one of our charming Potions lesson encounters that he could do the Cruciatus curse.'

'Yes, and I'm a three-headed hippopotamus with five hundred arms,' replied James sardonically. '

'I can see the resemblance,' said Remus pensively.

'Snape could talk for hours about his beloved curses,' said James, ignoring Remus' comment. 'But he couldn't ever do them. The only way Snape could torture someone is by making them look at him for more than thirty seconds.'

'Thirty seconds!' said Sirius. 'It's only ten and you start turning to stone.'

'I see,' said Remus, grinning. 'Snape is now a genetically-modified rat-type gorgon creature?'

'Naturally,' said Sirius seriously. 'But it's all do to with appearance. We never exaggerate.'

'No, never,' said James. 'Look, I really think we should stop talking about Snape. It is quite on the disturbing side.'

For nearly the remainder of the journey, they spent their time playing Exploding Snap with the girls and Frank. Lily and Sirius eventually gave up, as the cards seemed to be exploding in their vicinity more than anyone else's.

At around lunchtime, the smiling witch who carried the food trolley entered their compartment to see if they were hungry. The ten friends decided to pool their money and buy a lot of things for them to share. After they had bought almost half of the trolley, they resumed their game, eating and drinking at the same time.

Before long, however, the familiar voice of the driver came in over the loudspeaker. 

'We will be arriving at Hogwarts in approximately five minutes. Your luggage will be taken up to the school separately, so please leave it on the train. Thank you.'

Within a few minutes, the corridors outside the compartments were filled with students. James could see one first-year girl looking remarkably excited, as she waited for the train to stop. He was reminded strongly of Katie, and how excited she had been a year ago.

The train soon came to a halt. All the students disembarked, filling the silent night air with chatter and laughter. James and Sirius, their faces being bitten by the cold, made their way, with Remus and Peter, over to where the carriages were waiting to take them up to the castle. As they were walking, they heard another familiar voice.

'Firs' years! Any more firs' years?' Below Hagrid were standing around forty students, obviously new students, some looking very apprehensive and some looking very excited. The first-years at Hogwarts always reached the castle by sailing across the lake. However, before they could say anything to Hagrid, he had started leading the first years over towards the lake, and had soon disappeared from sight.

The four boys clambered into an empty carriage. James could only assume that invisible horses pulled the carriages, as when he looked at the front of theirs, it seemed to be moving of its own accord; there was nothing pulling it. They travelled along a long, winding path, their carriage and the carriages around them rattling, before they finally came to a halt. James got out, and looked up at Hogwarts. Its windows were once again sparkling in the moonlight. James could see some of Gryffindor tower protruding over the top. He was glad to be back.

James approached the front doors with Sirius, Remus and Peter. He looked across to the lake, and could see the silhouettes of around fifteen small boats about halfway across it. It would be a while before the first years arrived.

The four of them walked into the gigantic Entrance Hall, and walking past the magnificent marble staircase, entered the Great Hall. The Hall looked just as splendid as it had a year ago. Looking through the enchanted ceiling, James could see thousands of stars glittering in the inky black sky. The moon was behind a cloud, though James could see its pearly-white light shining around it. In the Hall itself, the four huge house tables were being gradually filled with students from the four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. The teachers were sitting at the High Table, at the front of the Hall. Before very long, the Hall was full of students from second year and above. As James was explaining to Katie and Lily exactly what Aurors did, the first years, lead by Professor McGonagall, entered the Great Hall. Most of them were looking very nervous, and James saw a group of them looking up at the enchanted ceiling, clearly amazed. When Professor McGonagall had taken the new students up to the front of the hall, just in front of the High table, she left them, and returned with a patched and frayed hat – the Sorting Hat.

The Sorting Hat was the thing that chose the house for new students. James remembered last year, when he had tried the hat on. The hat had put him into Gryffindor without any shadow of doubt. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on a stool, and the whole Hall sat waiting. James knew what they were waiting for. Suddenly, a rip appeared in the hat, and it started singing: 

'_I was put down on this earth,_

_For really just one thing._

_It wasn't to be comical,_

_Or stand around and sing._

_They wanted me to do for them –_

_These tremendous Hogwarts Four,_

_They wanted me to sort new students,_

_So that is what I'm for._

_Now those two super wizards,_

_And those witches of renown,_

_Wanted me to put the students,_

_In the houses they'd laid down._

_First there was great Gryffindor_

_Who was mighty, bold and brave,_

_The skills of which I now converse,_

_In his students he did crave._

_Next came noble Slytherin,_

_Whose ambition did make cower,_

_His rivals and his enemies;_

_His students needed power._

_Next came humble Hufflepuff,_

_Whose ways were loyal and just,_

_She trained her students up to be,_

_People of great trust._

_Finally came Ravenclaw,_

_For talent she had a will,_

_Her students all had virtues_

_Of intelligence and skill._

_So put me on,_

_I will not bite,_

_Don't be afraid of me._

_Try me on, and you'll find out_

_In which house you should be.'_

_ _

The hat finished singing and bowed to the four house tables. A large amount of applause rang around the hall. When the Hall was again silent, Professor McGonagall returned with a large scroll in her hands.

'When I call your name,' she said to the relieved-looking first years. 'You will come up here and try on the hat.'

'I reckon that hat could become a pop star,' James heard Lily whisper to Katie. He laughed to himself. Professor McGonagall began reading names.

'Brown, John!'

'GRYFFINDOR!' screamed the hat. The whole of the Gryffindor table began cheering. Sirius was banging his fists on the table to create lots of noise. He was succeeding.

'Coates, Rachel!' The small girl that James had seen looking very excited on the train leapt up.

'Oi, Ben!' James whispered to Ben Coates, who was just a few places up the table.

'Yeah?'

'Is that your sister?' Ben nodded. James looked back at the hat. It seemed to be making up its mind. It finally shouted

'GRYFFINDOR!' Rachel Coates made her way over to the Gryffindor table, in a storm of applause. James saw her brother speaking happily to her.

'Cross, Michael!

'SLYTHERIN!' shouted the hat. Michael Cross, a rather miserable looking person, made his way over to the Slytherin table. James saw Snape welcoming him.

The Sorting continued for some time. Every time a student joined their new house, there was rapturous applause. 

'Smith, Helen.'

'RAVENCLAW!' James watched tiny little Helen Smith make her way over to the Ravenclaw table and give Jake Smith a hug. She was evidently his sister. The Sorting finally ended with 'Young, James.' becoming a Gryffindor. Professor McGonagall took the Sorting Hat out of the Hall. When she had returned, Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster, stood up. James could see Sirius massaging his stomach. 

'As I see many of you clutching your stomachs, I fear, Mr. Black, that you may pine away.' Everyone laughed at Sirius, who bowed. 'Therefore, I will leave the announcements until after the feast. Thank you.' Dumbledore sat down, and immediately plates of food appeared on the tables. James suddenly realised that he too was very hungry, and piled food onto his plate. The Hall was soon filled with the clattering of knifes and forks and the babble and laughter of the students. James and Sirius were telling a joke to all of the people around them. When they finished it, half of the Gryffindor table exploded with laughter. All heads in the Hall turned to see what was so funny, and presently the whole Hall knew the joke. The Slytherins were not so amused.

When the feast finished, Dumbledore stood up once again.

'Welcome!' he said, raising his arms. 'Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. I have a few notices to hand out. Firstly, two new teachers have joined our ranks this year. I would like to introduce Professor Turner, who has consented to teach Potions, and Professor Loughran who will teach Defence Against the Dark Arts.' Both of the new Professors stood up and smiled amiably. The Sorting had driven out of James' mind the fact that they had two new teachers. He hadn't even noticed them. The Professors sat down, and Dumbledore continued.

'Again I must remind you that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all pupils, and the village of Hogsmeade to all students in first and second year. Again, I must stress the importance of keeping away from the Whomping Willow. There were some incidents last year,' James and Sirius grinned at each other nervously, 'and I will punish severely anyone caught near the tree. Now, I think that is everything of importance. Oh, Quidditch trials and flying lessons begin in the second week of term. Now, off to bed. Could Mr. Lupin please stay here? I need a word with him. Thank you.' The Hall began to empty, but James and Sirius were staring at Remus.

'It's about my mum again,' said Remus uncomfortably, reading their thoughts. 'My dad's asked if I can take one day off a month again.'

'Oh, fine,' said James. 'We'll see you in the common room.' They made their way up the marble staircase, and kept climbing until they reached the seventh floor. Peter was waiting for them outside.

'Where've you been?' he said. 'The new password's 'Merlin's beard', but –' His words were cut off, as the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open, and they all climbed into the Gryffindor common room. Most people had already gone to bed, but there were still some playing chess in a corner. James was feeling suddenly tired, so he left Peter and Sirius playing chess, and made his own way up to the dormitory, where he found Frank half-asleep. He looked around at the five poster beds, and couldn't help feeling very glad to be back.

Yes, and now we stop. Yay! I managed to write a Sorting Hat song in twenty minutes so I could upload this today. It would be very kind and considerate of you to review.

Ciao__


	3. The Werewolf (3)

Aha! I have returned. I've just been reading (well, a few days ago) things about nailing puddings onto walls by Saraléa. It's a fantastic story, but it's about fifteen miles long. If you like that, read also The Flower and the Stag by Tropical Fishy (I think I've said this before). If you've read both of them, then read, er, The Blue Unicorn by Sirius. (Yes, that's it). If you've read all of them, then, er, entertain yourselves, dammit! 

Question (I was asked): Is there any reason James' birthday is 15th July? Answer: Not particularly. It is, however, sixteen days prior to my own birthday, July 31st, which is coincidentally the same day as Harry's. I would have made James' birthday then, but it would be too coincidental, and you would have moaned at me in your reviews (which is most of you in your element). I stop talking now; you start reading…

The next day, lessons began, and everyone at Hogwarts was prepared for a long and difficult term. Well, almost everyone. Sirius, James, Remus, Peter and Frank all began the year with a furious pillow. After they had all changed, they made their way down to the Great Hall, where they found Ben Coates handing out new timetables.

'Here y'are,' he said, handing them their timetables. 'This is your lesson disrupting plan.'

'I assumed they were timetables,' said James, grinning.

'Same thing,' said Ben, shrugging, and he left to hand out the new first year timetables. 

'Let's see,' said James, gazing down at his new timetable. 'We still have Potions with the Slytherins. Rats.'

'Quite literally,' muttered Sirius.

'Arrgh! We've got flying lessons, well, Quidditch tryouts, with them as well. I thought we were with the Ravenclaws for flying.'

'Can't have too much of a good thing, I suppose,' said Remus, looking equally put out.

'Yeah, apart from that, it's pretty much the same – though we have Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts with new teachers – should be interesting. Oh, and well, we've got everything at different times. Er, Datda's first.'

'Datda?'

'Defence Against the Dark Arts, Sirius,' said James slowly. 'You're still asleep really, aren't you?' Sirius made some odd snoring noises to corroborate James' theory. James tapped his head, looking at Remus and Peter, all silently agreeing that Sirius was more suited to a mental institution than a school. When James actually voiced this conjecture, Sirius seemed to awaken from his stupor.

''Course,' he said, 'Datda! It's all so clear now.' Still wondering how exactly Sirius' mind worked, James began helping himself to some toast. He suddenly received a sharp nip on his arm. It was Mercury, his large tawny owl. She rarely brought him letters, it was only his parents who ever wrote, but as he had only been away from them for a day, he though it unlikely to be from them. It was simply addressed to 'James', and the handwriting looked oddly familiar. There was no return address; it was just a small letter in a brownish envelope. James set it down, eager to finish his breakfast before he read it. He finished his toast, and turned to pick up his letter. It was gone! He looked around on the table. Nothing. He looked underneath the table. Nothing. Someone must have taken it, taken it when he wasn't watching, but whom? It must have been someone sitting around him, as he hadn't seen anyone approaching the table.

James looked at the people around him. On his left, Remus was explaining to Lily exactly how Disapparation worked; she looked fascinated, and not as though she'd just stolen a letter. On his right, Sirius and Peter were talking spiritedly about the Quidditch World Cup, which was to take place in the summer, and the rest of the girls, Michelle, Heather, Sarah and Katie, were on the other side of Remus and Lily, laughing at a joke that Frank had told them. Frank was a funny person. He seemed to James to be more comfortable around girls than boys, which was remarkably odd. He was funny in a comical sense too, and though James rarely spent time with him (He was usually with Michelle or Sarah), he got on with him very well. 

None of the people around him, however, looked remotely as though they'd just stolen his letter, and in case, why should they? When he left the Great Hall a few minutes later, and crossed the Entrance Hall, his mind was still reeling with the inexplicability of the whole thing. Why would anyone steal his letter? It made no sense. His back could only have been turned for a few minutes, so, in theory, only the people around him: Sirius, Peter, Lily and Remus would really have had any chance. But why? That was what was bothering him. Why would one of his friends steal something that was obviously meant for him?

James was still trying to answer the same question when he arrived outside the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Because he had been so wrapped up in the mysterious disappearance of his letter, he had completely forgotten that they had a new teacher. Professor Loughran was a remarkably tall person. James seriously doubted if there were any other people at Hogwarts as tall as him, except for Hagrid. The top of his head almost brushed the top of the doorframe. He had a commanding presence, and he spoke in a deep booming voice.

'Welcome,' he said loudly, causing Sirius to jerk awake. 'I am Professor Loughran, your new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. I will just take the register quickly, and then we can begin.' He worked his way down the very short list of names, from Sirius to Heather. 

'Now, the topic for this year is dark creatures. I have to teach you to recognise dark creatures and know their weaknesses. I once had a friend who was almost killed by he fell down some stairs after he had seen a Boggart. Now some of you may not know what a Boggart is,' James, Peter and Sirius did; James' dad had explained to them during the holidays, 'but all it would have taken was a simple incantation, and my friend would probably still have the correct number of limbs.' There were some slightly apprehensive looks around the class. Only Peter, James and Sirius looked fairly calm. Remus was looking nothing short of horrified.

'I'll be showing you most of the basic Dark creatures, though we may at some point have a look at werewolves and vampires.' Now most of the class were looking at Professor Loughran as though he was insane, notably Remus and Lily.

'Vampires and werewolves?' breathed Lily breathlessly. 'Whaaat?' Remus nodded in agreement, but Professor Loughran continued talking.

'Now, probably the most basic dark creature is a Boggart. It's not pleasant stumbling upon a Boggart if you don't know what it really is.'

'First of all then, what is a Boggart?' James and Peter's hand's rose into the air. Sirius looked highly uninterested.

'Pettigrew?'

'Shape-shifter?' said Peter nervously. He rarely got things right first rime, and seemed to be waiting for a reprimand from Professor Loughran.

'Precisely. The Boggart takes the shape of the thing that it believes us to fear most.' Most of the class gave Professor Loughran looks of pure terror. He continued, either missing or ignoring the looks on his class' faces. 'The spell that dispels a Boggart is fairly straightforward, though it does require concentration. The thing that dispels a Boggart is laughter. When facing him, you need to try and make his appearance, whatever it may be, comical. For example, I have a friend who is mortally afraid of birds. When a Boggart is in his presence, he pictures the bird without its head. It certainly does the trick, even if it is slightly, er, less… orthodox.'

'When you know how to make your Boggart look comical, then there is a simple incantation you must say. It is, repeat after me…_riddikulus_!'

'Riddikulus!' repeated the class.

'Correct. Now, I have been searching the castle since I woke up, but I have not, unfortunately, been able to find a Boggart. Does anyone actually know where Boggarts are commonly found?' Sirius raised his hand.

'Boggartland?' he asked, innocently. Professor Loughran laughed.

'Not quite, er, Sirius,' he said, consulting his class list. 'Does anyone know?' James raised his hand lazily.

'Dark, enclosed spaces,' he said monotonously.

'Precisely, James. Now, hopefully, I will be able to find a Boggart lurking around the castle for one of our next lessons. This will give you all plenty of time to practice the incantation, and to think of how to make the thing you fear most look comical. Once more…riddikulus!'

'Riddikulus!' said the class simultaneously.

'Excellent. It would probably help you to read up about Boggarts in your textbooks before next lesson. Now, as we have a little time remaining, you may please yourselves; I must get on with something.'

The remainder of the lesson was filled with some apprehensive and some excited talk about Boggarts. James knew immediately what his Boggart would turn in to, and so, apparently, did Sirius.

'S'obvious,' he said to James. 'It'll be Heather kissing Snapey.'

'Got the hots for Heather, have you?' Sirius nodded, grinning.

'Oy, Heather!' shouted Remus across the class.' Heather turned. 'Sirius says he loves you. Is that all right?' Heather grinned, and nodded. While Sirius talked about his and Heather's undying love, James' mind wandered back to his missing letter. He was still remarkably confused, and after going over all the possibilities once more in his mind, the most probable still being that someone around him stole it, he decided to stop worrying about it. 

Their next lesson was Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall was refreshing their memories by making them all turn matches into needles again. As most people completed this task without very much difficulty, she moved them onto the far more difficult task of changing beetles into buttons. Only James managed it, producing a handful of buttons by the end of the lesson. He was subsequently not set any homework, which seemed to irritate Sirius for some reason.

'Git,' he said, as they were walking down to the Great Hall for lunch. 'Just 'cause you're so clever, you get let off homework.' James laughed.

'Don't worry. I'll probably end up doing yours for you anyway.'

'Damn right.'

'What's this?' said Remus, who had been talking to Peter. 'James's is going to do our homework for us? Ooh, goody.'

'Ooh,' came Lily's voice from behind us. 'You can do mine and all.'

'What is this?' said James, laughing. 'James Potter does your homework for you day?'

'If you're volunteering –' Peter began, but as they walked into the Great Hall, he stopped talking immediately, because he was too busy laughing, and it was apparent to everyone why.

Snape was bunny hopping towards the Slytherin table. He had been hit with what was undoubtedly the leg-locker curse. They walked over to the Gryffindor table to find nearly everyone doubled up with laughter.

'What happened?' Sirius asked, holding back his laughter.

'Fr – Frank,' whispered Ben Coates, before bursting out with laughter again. Frank was sitting at the end of the table, watching Snape with clear satisfaction.

'What did you do to him?' said James, still chuckling.

'Leg-locker,' said Frank, with a wry smile. 'Git was insulting these two again,' he motioned to Lily and Katie.

'Good man, Frankie,' said Sirius. 'Glad to see the rat is being punished.'

'He deserves it. The lot of 'em do. Avery and Rosier only got out of the way in time, or they'd be hopping too. They didn't think I'd do anything. It woulda killed you seeing his face when I cursed him. Beautiful. Well, strikingly ugly in truth, but you know what I mean.' James grinned and clapped Frank on the shoulder.

'Nice one, Frank. Should show the rats.' He looked up to see that Snape was now walking properly, though he was very red. Evidently some members of his own house had found it amusing. He caught James' eye and shot him a look of pure venom. James smiled evilly.

After lunch, the Gryffindors had Charms with Professor Flitwick. Today they were learning the Silencing charm.James was paired up with Lily, which was good, as she was clearly the best at the subject. Professor Flitwick demonstrated on Sirius. He spent half of the lesson in complete silence, as did James. Neither of them were very pleased. James did manage to get his own back, though, by placing the charm on Lily and then refusing to let her speak again until the end of the lesson. She tried to complain to Professor Flitwick, bet she couldn't speak. She didn't look too happy by the end of the lesson, as all of the Gryffindors made their way up to Gryffindor Tower.

That evening, James, Sirius, Frank, Remus and Lily decided to go down and visit Hagrid. They went relatively early, though they decided to take James' Invisibility Cloak with them, in case a detour to the kitchens was required on the return journey. They knocked loudly on his door.

'Alrigh' you lot?' he said, opening the door, to let them come in. 'How was yer first day back? They told him in detail. They certainly didn't miss out the details of what had happened at lunch.

'Don' blame yeh fer cursing him, Frank,' he said, when Frank explained. 'Mudblood…terrible thing ter say. Still, reckon you're cleverer than he is, Lily. Don' listen to a word he says.'

'S'alright Hagrid, I don't anyway,' said Lily. 'He's a pathetic rat. He is!' Hagrid was shaking his head.

'Yer just descending ter his level if yeh say stuff like tha'. Just ignore him, or keep it between yerselves.'

The conversation eventually drifted away from Snape. They were soon happily talking about flying lessons and Quidditch tryouts. Hagrid explained.

'See 'em doin' it every year. S'just like a normal flying lesson, 'cept Ben Coates an' the Slytherin Quidditch captain, can' remember his name, will be there, watchin' yeh. They'll be looking out fer new talent from all but first years. I bet at least one of yeh'll make the team.' Everyone looked at James.

'If it's gonna be anyone, it'll be Jamesy,' said Sirius firmly.

'Damn right,' echoed Frank.

'You're all too kind,' said James, grinning.

'You're too modest, James,' said Remus, also grinning.

They talked for a while with Hagrid, and then made their way back up to the castle for dinner. James glanced over to the Slytherin table as he entered. He saw Snape, and didn't like the look on his face at all. It wasn't his usual miserable face, it was a shrewd, cunning face, and he was speaking in low whispers to his friends and the Slytherin Quidditch captain, Graham Roberts. James guessed that he was probably plotting revenge against him and Frank – he doubted very much whether Snape had forgotten their train journey home at the end of last year. 

The Great Hall was soon filled with the clatter of knives and forks and a large amount of chatter. Though in truth he had only been back a day, James felt as though he'd been at Hogwarts for a month. It took him hardly any time to adapt. James talked a lot to Frank, Sirius, Peter and Remus about flying lessons during dinner. Remus looked slightly apprehensive; flying was not his favourite pastime, but Sirius, Peter and especially Frank were all looking forward with tremendous anticipation. Although James could barely remember, he seemed to think that Frank was a good flyer, too.

When they returned to the common room earlier, after passing the portrait of the fat lady (Merlin's beard!'), the five boys were too tired to do anything, all five of them went upstairs and were presently fast asleep. Or at least that was what James thought. If he had been awake, he would have undoubtedly heard the quiet rustling of a small envelope being opened by someone in the dormitory.

The next few days passed fairly quickly. On Thursday morning, Professor Loughran told them that he had still had no luck in locating a Boggart, so he spent most of the lesson telling them about his travels around the world, which was very interesting. In the afternoon, they had their first Potions lesson with their new teacher, Professor Turner. He was probably their youngest teacher; he could hardly be older than twenty-five. It occurred to James the Professor Turner had been somewhat similar to Sirius when he had been at school. Sirius seemed to enjoy the lesson more than any lesson he had had with Professor Jackson the previous year. As James was contemplating this, he wondered where Professor Jackson was, and what he was doing.

The weekend soon arrived. James and Sirius paid a trip to the kitchens, and the house-elves were ecstatic to see them again.

'The summer has been very trying, sirs,' one particularly squeaky elf told them, as he handed them a small plate of chipolata sausages. 'We elves has had very little work to do. It is bad, sirs, very bad. We elves love our work.' 

'So I see,' said James, grinning, as he noticed a group of elves beginning to cook dinner in the corner.

After dinner, the ten second year Gryffindors had a particularly explosive game of Exploding Snap. They were approached, a little while later, by three slightly mischievous looking first years, a girl and two boys. James knew who one of them was; she had been the second person to be sorted – Rachel Coates, Ben Coates' younger sister.

'Hello,' said Lily, kindly, as they approached.

'Evening,' said one of the boys courteously.

'Who are you?' Lily continued.

'James Young. This is John Brown and Rachel Coates.'

'How can we help you, Jamesy?' said Sirius, grinning. James personally thought it was because he'd found another person to torture with silly nicknames.

'It's James.'

'Don't even bother trying,' James advised his namesake. 'It'll only encourage him.'

'How do you know?' asked James' friend, John.

'James Potter, at your service. Yes, my, er, strange friend Sirius here calls me Jamesy too.'

'You're James and you're Sirius,' said Rachel, motioning to them. 'Who are all you lot?' she asked, gazing questioningly at Lily and the rest.

'Alright, deep breath,' said Sirius. 'We have Lily Burns, Katie Evans, Heather Thomas, soon to be Heather Black, of course,' Heather laughed. 'Er, Michelle Lewis, Sarah Coleman, Remus Lupin, Frank Longbottom and Peter Pettigrew.'

'Lily, Katie, Heather, Michelle, Sarah, Frank, Remus, Peter, Sirius and James,' repeated Rachel. 'So I presume you're all second years?'

'No!' whispered Sirius. 'We're on a secret mission, from –' 

'Yes,' said Remus, interrupting Sirius, 'we're all second years.' Sirius looked slightly put out about not be able to talk about his secret mission story.

'Is it good here at Hogwarts?' asked James.

'Definitely, Jamesy,' said Sirius. 'Actually, we can't call you Jamesy, because of wee Potter here…' Sirius lapsed into deep concentration. 'That's it! Jamesy Junior.' James and James Junior looked at each other, both raising their eyes to the ceiling.

'You really are quite insane,' said Frank, laughing. Sirius bowed, taking this as a compliment.'

'To answer your question,' said Remus, still looking worriedly at Sirius. 'Yes, Hogwarts is great. There's only one bad thing,' he blurted out suddenly. Everyone stared at him.

'What?' asked Peter.

'Er,' Remus began, looking uncomfortable. 'We're, er, not allowed into the Forbidden Forest.'

'Why exactly would we want to go into the Forbidden Forest?' asked Frank. 

'I dunno, it might be – er – fun?'

'You've been hanging around Sirius too long,' said James, laughing. 'The insanity is contagious.' Remus laughed nervously.

'Yeah. I think I'll go to bed, I suddenly feel quite tired. Night.' And he strode over to the dormitory door and starting to climb the stairs, closing the door behind him. There were a few minutes of stunned silence.

'Maybe he's right,' said Peter, after a few minutes. 'Maybe we should all go to –'

'Tell you what, we'll have one last game,' said James.

They played quite a long game of Exploding Snap with John, Rachel and James Junior, as he was now being cheerfully dubbed. It was quite late when Lily practically fell asleep on Sirius, and James insisted that they all went to bed. Sirius seemed happy to stay where he was, but after James threatened to torture him with the Laughing curse again, he quickly shook Lily off him and scampered off to the second year dormitories with Peter. James said goodnight to the girls, John and James Junior, and then he and Frank made their way up to the dormitory. Frank was talking enthusiastically about facing the Boggart on Monday, as Professor Loughran had told them at dinner that he had managed to locate one in the castle. As Frank was going through the finer points of exactly what he was going to do to his spider (he had arachnophobia {a/n It's common, leave me alone}), they entered the dorm. Remus was fast asleep, looking, as he always did, rather pale, whilst Sirius and Peter were having another spirited, though quiet conversation about the forthcoming Quidditch World Cup. James suddenly felt very tired himself. Wishing goodnight to Sirius, Peter and Frank, he changed into his pyjamas and fell asleep, without even removing his glasses.

Don't bother putting into your reviews (if you write them) that I have blatantly copied Chapter 7 of PoA, because I already know! And don't try and get me sued by JKR either (I doubt she needs the…twenty-eight pence that I currently have). It all belongs to her anyway; I just had to incorporate the Boggart so we can all see Remus being frightened by crystal balls (and I have to think of something that would scare Sirius – if you have any ideas about what might scare people, tell me in your review).

Ciao__


	4. The Werewolf (4)

Ah, here we go again. There are some heroic deeds performed in this part, by Jamesy, and, er, Remus is afraid of crystal balls. Reviewing is a good idea…

James woke bright and early on Monday morning. Deciding for once to let Sirius and the others wake up without the use of pillows, he dressed in silence and made his solitary way down to the common room. When he entered, he noticed two other early risers – Remus and Lily. Remus had left the curtains around his bed drawn, so James had assumed that he was still asleep. They were playing chess, though it looked as though they could both use a few more hours sleep. 

'Morning,' said James brightly, as he approached.

'Hi, James,' said Lily. Remus mumbled incoherently by way of greeting.

'Fancy some breakfast?' said James, and after being answered in the affirmative, he, Remus and Lily made their way out of the portrait hole and down to the Great Hall.

When they reached the Great Hall, they found it relatively empty – most people were still asleep. There were a few bleary-eyed pupils scattered around, but it would be at least half an hour before the Hall was really awake.

James sat down and helped himself to some bacon and eggs. He began talking to Lily and Remus about facing the Boggart in just under an hour's time. However, this merely sufficed to make the both look even more ill, so James went back to eating in silence. 

Before too long, the Hall was bustling with the chatter and noise of nearly the whole school. Sirius and the rest joined them, looking much more awake after nearly half an hour's more sleep. Whilst talking to Sirius about the Boggart, he was interrupted by a large, snowy owl, flying towards them with a letter in his beak. He dropped it in front of Sirius. It was a small, brownish envelope, with 'Sirius' written simply on the front. Sirius identified the owl as Snowy, his own owl.

'I see you must have done some in-depth research to find a name that clever,' James remarked. Sirius laughed, and placed his letter down, continuing with his breakfast. 

When they finished breakfast, Sirius turned to pick his letter up, but…

'It's gone!' he shouted.

'What?' said James, though he knew exactly what Sirius was talking about.

'My letter; it's gone.'

'That letter was the same as the one I got last week. Last Monday; remember? I was telling you about it.'

'Yeah, but who could've taken it?'

'Look around.' Sirius did, and James copied him. Frank and Lily were having a discussion about the Quidditch trials, which were in the afternoon. Peter was talking to Heather and Michelle about something…Remus was, Remus was talking to Professor Loughran at the High Table – it couldn't have been him, he was too far away. Katie and Sarah were comparing Transfiguration notes. No, once again, it seemed as though an invisible thief had stolen the letter.

As James and Sirius left the Great Hall and started off for the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, both of them were talking quietly, utterly perplexed about what could have happened to the mysterious letters. They had almost forgotten that they were both about to face the Boggart.

When they reached the classroom, they noticed that Professor Loughran had moved all of the tables and chairs to the edge of the classroom, so that there was a big space in the middle of the room. At the far end, a small cupboard wobbled. James felt Remus recoil slightly next to him.

'Everyone in, that's it, around here. Now, as promised, here is our Boggart,' the cupboard wobbled again. 'Now, as you should all now know what you have to do, who would like to go first?' Frank raised his hand determinedly. 'Right, Frank can start us off, and then I'll call each of you in turn to face it. Ready? Right, off you go!' He thrust open the door and a huge, clicking spider emerged, heading straight at Frank. It approached, but Frank was ready. Throwing back his arms, he cried 'Riddikulus!' The spider stopped moving. It stood still for a minute, and then began doing what was undoubtedly and Irish dance. The class exploded with laughter as they watched this huge, murderous looking spider tap-dancing across the floor.

'Excellent!' cried Professor Loughran. 'Peter, you next.' Peter stepped forward resolutely. The tap-dancing spider disappeared, and was immediately replaced by a large, hulking creature – a werewolf. Quite a few people screamed, but Peter stood his ground. He cried 'Riddikulus!' The wolf stopped. It began shrinking; it kept shrinking and shrinking until it was size of a baby kitten. It walked over to Peter and licked his hand. Everyone laughed, and a few people cooed.

'Well done, Peter. Lily, forward!' Lily approached the Boggart. The tiny wolf cub disappeared, and was replaced by a large, humanlike figure, but with sharp fangs – a vampire. The vampire approached Lily, fangs bared, but Lily was ready. She bellowed 'Riddikulus!' and the Vampire's teeth dropped out. Another shout of laughter rang around the classroom. 

This continued for quite a while. Each time somebody stepped forward, the Boggart would change its form with a loud 'crack!' Finally, there were only three people left – James, Sirius and Remus.

'James, forward!' James approached, dreading the inevitable. Ever since he had visited Azkaban, the Wizarding Prison, with his father, he had always been afraid of one thing. The Boggart cracked, and changed into a nine-foot tall Dementor. The whole room went cold, and many people backed against the wall. Dementors were soulless, life-sucking beasts that lived off the emotions of others. James had once had to go to Azkaban with his father, who worked for the Ministry of Magic. The Dementors were the prison guards there. However, as the Dementor approached James, he stood up. He bellowed 'Expecto Patron –', but then he suddenly realised that he was saying the wrong spell. The Patronus Charm was easily the hardest spell that James knew. It was beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. After he had been to Azkaban, he had begged his father to teach it to him, in case he ever ran across a Dementor unprepared. His father, in the end, had reluctantly given in, and after many months, James had managed to master it. However, James was, at present, facing a Boggart. The Patronus Charm only worked on real Dementors. He shouted 'Riddikulus!' and the Dementor's cloak fell away, revealing empty space. The class laughed weakly, and James sat back down, breathing hard.

'How did you get rid of that thing?' asked Sirius, shivering slightly. 'They're hor – horrible.'

'Er – Sirius, you next,' said Professor Loughran, hesitating slightly. Sirius approached the Boggart. James laughed as he remembered what Sirius had said the Boggart would turn into. The Boggart cracked, and turned into Sirius. Sirius was looking at himself. He then realised that the Boggart-Sirius had no mouth – it couldn't speak. Sirius let out a soft scream, whilst the class exploded with laughter. The thing Sirius feared most was not being able to speak. James thought that that would be most people's dream. Sirius looked determined, though. He cried 'Riddikulus!' and suddenly, the Boggart-Sirius opened its invisible mouth and began to sing. Sirius cheered, whilst everyone else was still laughing uncontrollably.

'Forward, Remus, and finish it off!' cried Professor Loughran. Remus stepped forward, and with a 'crack!' the Boggart-Sirius transformed into a silvery-white orb.

'What the heck's that?' asked Sirius slowly.

'Dunno,' said James. 'Might be a crystal ball.'

It hung in front of Remus, who looked petrified, though he managed to stammer 'Rid – riddikulus!' The orb started slowly moving around, until it was finally flying around the room at tremendous speed. It crashed into the wall with a great thud and smashed. The class all laughed, and the Boggart exploded, bursting into a hundred wisps of smoke. It was gone.

'Excellent, excellent!' said Professor Loughran, trying to calm the class down. 'Yes, well done. Five points to Gryffindor for each of you. Now, as we still have some time left,' he checked his watch. 'I think we can all have a little rest.' Most of the class were more than willing, and everyone flopped down into chairs, talking about how they had tackled their Boggarts.

'Remus?' James asked.

'Yeah?'

'What was your Boggart?'

'Er, a crystal ball. I hate Divination.'

'Oh, right.'

'Imagine,' said Sirius, sitting down next to them. 'Never being able to talk. I'd rather be in Azkaban.'

'I wouldn't,' said James fervently.

'James?' said Professor Loughran suddenly.

'Sir?'

'Could I talk to you for a moment?' Bemused, James got up and approached Loughran's desk. 'So,' he said. 'How did you learn the Patronus Charm?'

'What? Oh, that. My, er, dad taught it to me, a while ago.'

'Being able to perform the Patronus Charm is remarkably difficult, even for some fully trained wizards. For a second year wizard, it is nothing short of incredible.'

'Oh, well, er, I wanted to learn it, because I visited Azkaban, and I saw how horrible those Dementors are.'

'Quite. Well, I'm impressed, James. I expect that that shall come in useful someday.'

'Thank you, sir.'

By now, the lesson was over, and the Gryffindors left for Transfiguration. Sirius was still moaning about his missing letter, but most of the class were now talking enthusiastically about the flying lessons that afternoon. 

Compared to their action-packed first lesson of the day, Transfiguration that morning was something of a disappointment. They had to make extensive notes on Animagi; wizards who could change into animals at will. James was fascinated, though he could see Sirius and Remus practically falling asleep next to him.

'Black! Lupin! Are you paying attention?' Professor McGonagall suddenly asked.

'What?' said Sirius dazedly. 'Oh, yes sir.' Professor McGonagall was not pleased. She gave Sirius extra homework, which he wasn't too happy about.

'Honestly!' he said, as they walked down to lunch. 'How does she expect us to stay awake in such boring lessons?'

'I agree,' said Remus, yawning.

'Maybe some food will cheer you up,' said James, as they entered the Great Hall.

At two-thirty that afternoon, the Gryffindor second years made their way down to the Quidditch pitch for their flying lessons. The Slytherins were already there, waiting for them. James could also see Ben Coates, to whom he gave thumbs up – Ben returned it – Graham Roberts, the Slytherin Quidditch captain, talking to Snape and laughing, and Madam Hooch, who was overseeing the lesson. As she had done the previous year, Madam Hooch instructed the pupils to stand next to a broom each and kick off, hard. Just as she was about call everybody down, there was a shout behind her.

Jacob Avery was lying on the ground, practically screaming, and evidently in a great deal of pain. She instructed Ben Coates to keep watching over the lesson, and she took Avery off to the Hospital Wing. James hovered next to Frank in the air, with Lily just behind them.

'What happened?' he asked Frank.

'Dunno. He probably fell off his broom.'

'Oh, that's alright then,' said Lily. Frank and James grinned. Suddenly, Sirius shouted to them. 

'James!! Frank!! Lily!! Behind you!!' James turned and saw a ripple of light flying straight at the three of them. He knew immediately where it was from. He dived, and so did Frank. Lily was too slow. The light, whatever it was, hit her full on, and she was thrown from the broom.

'Lily!!' cried James and Frank together. She fell, at least twenty feet, and hit the ground, hard. She was unconscious.

'Frank, you and Sirius deal with Snape and the others. I'll take Lily up to the Hospital Wing.' Frank looked more than willing. James watched him swoop down to where Sirius was; he had one fleeting glance of Sirius, Remus, Frank and Ben Coates approaching the Slytherins, wands bared, before he sped down to help Lily.

Most of the Gryffindors were crowded around her, but James took charge. It was lucky he was so strong. He lifted Lily onto his broomstick and took off towards the castle. He was not very experienced in sharing a broomstick, but he managed to get up to the castle. He dismounted, and kicked open the door into the Entrance Hall. It was empty. He just about managed to carry Lily up to the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey was talking seriously to Madam Hooch.

'He wasn't hurt at all, I don't know – Potter! What are you doing?' she said, spotting James.

'Lily,' he gasped, placing her down on one of the beds. 'Fell off her broom.'

'And you carried her all the way up here?' asked Madam Hooch, eyeing him beadily.

'Flew – to the castle – carried her here,' James replied, still short of breath. 'She's unconscious.'

'Potter, stay with her. You! Come with me.' Her last remark was directed towards Jacob Avery, who was looking highly pleased with himself, and certainly not injured. He grinned when he saw Lily. James would have hit him, but under the watchful eyes of Madam Hooch and Madam Pomfrey he merely glared at Avery. This was nothing compared to Madam Hooch. She looked livid, and she pulled Avery out after her roughly.

'You can stay here with her, Potter,' said Madam Pomfrey. 'She should come round in a few minutes. That was very noble of you, carrying her up here like that.' James shrugged.

'Couldn't leave her lying there, could I?' he said, grinning 

'No,' replied Madam Pomfrey, smiling. 'No, of course not, dear.' She strolled off to her office.

Presently, Lily woke up. She looked a little dazed, especially when she turned to see James' face above her.

'Alright?' he asked her, smiling.

'James?' she said dazedly. 'Where am I? What happened?

'Hospital Wing,' he told her. 'You fell off your broom.'

'How?'

'Snape, I think. They used Avery to get Madam Hooch out of the way.'

'Why?'

'Oh, I don't think they were aiming at you. No, they were trying to knock Frank and me off, you know, because of the curses we put on Snape. The body-bind and the leg-locker, remember?'

'Yeah,' said Lily laughing. 'Ow,' she added, clutching her leg.

'You all right?' James asked concernedly. 'You fell nearly twenty feet.'

'Yeah, I'll live. Just my leg that hurts.'

''Spect Madam Pomfrey can fix that. Yeah, here she comes.' Madam Pomfrey was approaching Lily's bed with a goblet of something in her hand.

'Here you are, dear,' she said kindly. 'Drink this, and the pain should stop in a few minutes. It'll make you drowsy in about half an hour, though.'

'Lily took the goblet, and drained it in one swallow. She them pulled a face that James though made her look like a Slytherin. Well, it probably wasn't that bad.

'Nice?' he asked her innocently.

'Hardly.'

They chatted for a few more minutes, before the rest of the Gryffindor second years and Ben Coates joined them.

'Are you alright, Lily?' asked Sirius seriously.

'Fine,' said Lily, whose leg was now healed.

'Did you get Snape?' asked James. Sirius, Remus, Frank and Ben all grinned guiltily.

''Course we did,' said Sirius. 'I don't think he'll be trying to knock people off their broomsticks for a while.'

'It was probably a good thing that you brought Lily up to the castle, James,' said Frank. 'You looked ready to put the Cruciatus curse on Snape.' James smiled wryly.

'You brought me up to the castle?' said Lily, stunned. 'I thought it was Madam Pomfrey.'

Nah,' replied James, smiling again. 'I wasn't going to leave you lying there. Had to get you up here quickly.'

'How did you?'

'On the back of his broomstick,' said Peter. Lily was still looking amazed.

'Er, thanks, James,' she said.

'Anything for a lady,' he said courteously.

'So you wouldn't carry me up here, if I got injured?' said Sirius challengingly. 

''Course I would. You're close enough to a lady.' Everyone laughed.

Some time later, Madam Pomfrey bustled over.

'Come on you lot, out! Lily needs some rest. I think you should probably stay in overnight, dear. You can have two people to stay with you for a while longer, but no more.' Lily nodded, and pointed to Katie and James, who sat down in two chairs next to her. Sirius and the rest left for Gryffindor Tower.

As Madam Pomfrey went back into her office, Lily yawned loudly.

'You wanna go to sleep for a bit, Lily?' James asked. 'That potion's drowsiness effects seem to be kicking in.'

'Yeah, I'll see – you la –' She fell asleep before she could finish her sentence.

'C'mon,' James whispered to Katie. 'Let's go back to the Tower.' Katie nodded mutely, and after James had thanked Madam Pomfrey, the two of them left the Hospital Wing and headed for Gryffindor Tower.

'That was really nice, you know, James, what you did for Lily,' said Katie.

'Thanks,' replied James. 'Still, I would have helped anyone in that situation, even Sirius.' Katie laughed.

'How did you manage to carry her all that way?'

'She's very light.'

'Or you're very strong.'

'Bit of both, I reckon,' said James, grinning

'Sirius's right. You're too modest.'

'Maybe you're right. But what would you prefer, modest James or bighead James?'

'Point taken.' Laughing, they reached the portrait hole, and said 'Merlin's beard.' to the Fat Lady. When they entered the common room, they noticed that Sirius must have been "borrowing", as he called it, food from the kitchens again. James had a feeling that his Cloak would not be lying in his trunk. Sirius noticed Katie and James.

'Here he is!' he shouted. 'The hero!' James laughed.

'Same old Sirius,' he muttered into Katie's ear.' She laughed again.

'Ah! What is this?' said Sirius, in a mock serious tone. 'Saving one fair damsel from ugly rats and then whispering sweet nothings into another fair damsel's ear? Thou disgusteth me, sir James of Potter.' James dissolved into uncontrollable laughter. Sirius could be very funny at times.

'And now thou laughest at my quibbles,' Sirius continued, in the same tone. 'I challengeth thee to a duel!' He had said the magic words. James whipped out his wand and cried 'Rictusempra!' again, through his laughter, before Sirius could move out of the way. James continued laughing, but he wasn't the only one now.

It would have undoubtedly been a funny sight, entering the Gryffindor common room at that point. Sirius was lying on the floor, hardly able to breath from laughing, and everyone around him was laughing as well. James finally managed to contain himself long enough to mutter the counter-curse, but then he burst out laughing again when he saw Sirius' face.

'They ought to get rid of that damn laughing curse,' he said. 'Bane of my existence.'

'So – so – sorry, Sirius,' James gasped, just managing to contain his laughter. 'But you did challengeth me to a duel.'

'Note to self,' said Sirius. 'Never challenge James Potter to a duel again.'

'Note to self,' said Katie, joining in. 'When falling off a broom, make sure James Potter is around.'

'Note to self,' said Remus. 'Your friends are mostly insane.'

'Note to Remus,' James laughed. 'Your friends are completely insane.' They continued in this vein for quite a long time, but Frank eventually persuaded everyone to shut up.

For the rest of the day, they played Exploding Snap with James Junior and Rachel Coates, who came over to join them. They did, at one point, go back up to the Hospital Wing, but Lily was still sleeping, and they decided to wait until tomorrow to see her. When they got back, James decided to do his Transfiguration homework on Animagi. The others had been set a different, much more easy homework – Professor McGonagall knew that James could manage more difficult topics.

That night, James stayed up talking to Remus for quite a while after Sirius, Peter and Frank had all fallen asleep. He was still a little unsure about Remus' Boggart, but as it was the thing that scared him the most, he decided not to mention it. Presently, both boys decided to go to sleep. James fell asleep before his head had even hit the pillow.

However, if he had been awake for a further five minutes, he would again have undoubtedly heard the small rustling of a brownish letter, with the word 'Sirius' on the front, being opened by somebody around him.

End. And so, this is the end of the last part of mystery. In part 5, all will be revealed (about Remus). Don't be asking me whether Lily is going to be falling in love with James because of his heroic deeds. No! Romance comes later. I just think James is a nice person, and helps out damsels in distress (or in a state of unconsciousness). And no! Sirius and Heather will not be getting married (yet). Oh, and no comments about Dementors (they say Harry and James were alike). And yes, I will make Sirius lose his voice at some point *cackles*. 

Ciao


	5. The Werewolf (5)

Back again. These are coming up fast – no one has time to review *sob*. Still, I don't care. Maybe when I'm one of the kinda famous people on here (you know, people like Poissony Tropique and Saraléa, who everyone know). Then I'll get eighty reviews for each story. What? You don't think I will? *Shrugs* that's life.

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The next morning, James woke very early, as he had arranged with Katie to go and visit Lily before breakfast. James took the Cloak with him – he thought that they could go via the kitchens to get Lily some food, even if it did mean revealing the Cloak to Katie.

James threw the Cloak over himself, and made his way down to the common room. He entered silently, and spotted Katie in the corner by the fireplace.

'Ready to go, Katie?' he said, fully aware that he was invisible.

'James? Where are you? Who said that?' Katie sounded slightly fearful, so James pulled the Cloak off.

'James, what is that?'

'My Invisibility Cloak.' Katie looked impressed.

'Why do we need that?'

'I thought we could take a short detour to the kitchens.'

'You know where the kitchens are?' James nodded. 'No wonder you and Sirius always have food.'

'Yeah,' said James laughing. 'We never go hungry.'

'C'mon, let's go,' said Katie. James threw the Cloak over them both, and they crept out of the portrait, scaring the Fat Lady in the process.

'Who's there?' she screeched, as they ran off down the corridor, laughing quietly.

When they reached the kitchens, the house-elves, who knew James by now, were happy to give him some food for Lily, and James decided that he and Katie might as well have their breakfast too, so they would have a while to see Lily before their History of Magic lesson.

Laden down with food, they staggered up to the Hospital Wing. When they arrived, they found Lily awake, and looking a lot happier. She was clutching a steaming mug of hot chocolate. 

'All right, Lily?' said Katie, forgetting that she was still underneath the Cloak, and subsequently causing Lily to spill half of her hot chocolate.

'Who said that?' said Lily suspiciously. James pulled off the Cloak. 'James! Where did you get that?'

'What, the Cloak? It was a Christmas pressie last year.'

'But that's amazing! An Invisibility Cloak! I didn't know they even existed.' There was some envy in Lily's voice that amused James.

'So how are you feeling?'

'Oh, fine,' said Lily, pulling her eyes away from the Cloak. 'Yeah, I probably didn't need to stay in overnight. Just a precaution.' James nodded.

'Anyway, we brought you some breakfast,' he said, pulling out the large bag of food that they had got from the kitchens.

'Oh, you two, you're such marvellous people!' said Lily, pulling some chocolate éclairs to wards her.'

'We knew you'd be hungry.'

'Damn right,' said Lily, through a mouthful of chocolate. 'All I've eaten – well, drank – is that repulsive potion.'

'That's what friends are for,' said James, grinning.

'But – hold on – where's all this from?' 

'The kitchens,' said James offhandedly. Lily looked amazed once more.

'You know where the kitchens are?!'

''Course. Why d'you think me and Sirius did all that exploring in our first few weeks?' Lily didn't answer. She simply sat there, looking stunned.

'Come on now, dear,' came Madam Pomfrey's voice from the corner. 'This is your last dose, and then you can get dressed and go with your friends.' She was holding a goblet of potion. Lily took it and drained it immediately – she evidently wanted to get it over and done with. As soon as she had finished it, she handed the goblet back to Madam Pomfrey, who strode back to her office. She was just about to start getting undressed, when James called to her.

'Er, Lily? Don't you want to close the curtains before you get dressed?' Lily looked up, and realised that her friends were still there. She blushed, and drew the curtains around her.

'S'lucky Sirius isn't here,' James whispered to Katie.

'Why?'

'He'd put this on,' he motioned to the Cloak. 'And go under there after her.'

'He wouldn't,' said Katie, looking shocked.

'Nah, probably not for Lily, but Heather –' He tailed off meaningfully. Katie laughed. 

Presently, Lily had dressed into her black robes, and the three of them set off for History of Magic. They met Frank and Sarah on the way, who both looked as though a few more hours' sleep would do them good.

'Sleep in History of Magic,' James advised them. 'It's not like Binns'd ever notice.' Frank and Sarah laughed.

History of Magic that day was nothing short of monotonous. Binns droned on and on about things that the class were sure that they already knew. James and Sirius did manage to cause some excitement by setting off some Filibuster Fireworks, though it did earn them both a detention.

The rest of the week passed without much incident, though in Herbology Remus somehow managed to sprout cauliflowers instead of ears. James and Sirius were laughing too hard to admit they were the culprits, though this didn't prevent their second detentions in a week.

Next Wednesday morning dawned bright and sunny. James made his way down to breakfast with Remus and Peter. The Great Hall was fairly empty when they arrived, though the post owls were already working. As James was piling sausages onto his plate, two small, brown envelopes dropped from above. They were addressed to 'Remus' and 'Peter'. James knew that they were exactly the same as the ones that had been stolen.

'Remus,' he gasped. 'Hold onto those. Yeah, take Peter's as well. No, it's just that Sirius and I got identical letters to those and they just disappeared.'

'Disappeared?' said Remus blankly.

'Yeah. I don't know how, but they just disappeared. Keep a watchful eye on those.' Remus nodded.

Soon, the rest of the Gryffindors joined them at the table. Sirius practically spat out his pumpkin juice when he spotted Remus clutching the two letters

'Where did those come from?' he asked, after swallowing his juice.

'They were delivered, a few minutes ago,' said Peter. 'Remus is looking after them.'

'Good idea,' said Sirius. 'We should have a look at them, before Potions.' They all agreed, and left the Hall early to have a look at the letters.

They stopped when they reached the Potions dungeon. It was still ten minutes before the lesson started. Remus put his hand into his pocket, to get the letters.

'I don't believe it,' he said hoarsely. 'They're gone!'

'What?' said Sirius, in disbelief. 'How can they be gone?'

'I don't know, they just are!'

'Great,' said James. 'So, the invisible thief strikes again.'

'But I don't understand how they could've got it out of Remus' pocket,' said Peter.

'That's true,' said James thoughtfully. 'Remus, you didn't feel anything, did you?'

'No,' Remus replied. 'I don't have a clue where they could be.' 

And so for the third time, James entered a lesson with his mind spinning about the missing letters. This time, it wasn't a simple case of swiping them from a table – they had been stolen out of somebody's pocket. He hardly heard a word that Professor Turner was saying about potions that could be used with Transfiguration, though he did hear the word 'Animagi' a few times.

At lunchtime, James talked quietly with Sirius about the whole escapade. Sirius seemed quite as mystified as he did.

'So,' said James, summarising. 'We've lost four seemingly identical letters in the space of – sixteen days.' Sirius nodded gravely.

'The thing that puzzles me,' he said. 'Is why this thief wants the letters. What can be so important in them that they should be stolen?' James shrugged. 

'Dunno, but we should try and get to the bottom of it.'

The four boys sat up playing Exploding Snap that night, still quietly discussing the letters. Peter and Remus seemed quite as perplexed as Sirius and James. They went up to bed quite early, for the Quidditch team for the coming season was going to be put up in the common room tomorrow morning. Sirius seemed sure that James would get into the team, which is probably why James had a tight knot in his stomach when he finally fell asleep. 

The next morning, James woke later than he usually did. He drew back his curtains to reveal an empty dormitory – Sirius, Remus, Peter and Frank must already have gone to breakfast. It was then that James remembered the Quidditch team. He threw on his robes as fast as he could, and pelted down to the common room.

'Slow down, Jamesy,' came Sirius' voice, when he entered. 'He hasn't put it up yet.' He motioned to Ben Coates, who was muttering to himself in the corner, next to a model of a Quidditch pitch. 

'Have you lot had breakfast?' James asked Sirius.

'Nah,' Remus replied. 'We were waiting for you, and as you're here –' He jumped up. 'I think we can go down.' James was more than willing – he was suddenly feeling very hungry.

The Great Hall was full when James and the rest arrived. They spotted Frank and Lily at the end of the Gryffindor table, and pulled up some chairs next to them.

'You in the team, James?' Frank asked, as James sat down. 

'Dunno. Ben hasn't put the team up yet. I'll look when I've had some breakfast.'

'What? And risk missing the start of Datda?' said Peter.

'I'll live,' said James, grinning.

When they walked back to the common room, Sirius insisted in running on ahead to check the notice board. Just as they were about to say 'Merlin's beard', to enter the common room, Sirius came out, looking very morose.

'Bad news, Jamesy,' he said, gravely.

'What?' said James, grinning, because he knew what Sirius was like. Sirius sighed.

'Apparently, you have to be a Chaser for the Quidditch team.' James's stomach flipped. He'd done it – he'd got onto the Quidditch team. He hardly heard the congratulations he was getting as he walked back down towards Defence Against the Dark Arts. Sirius was making a point of running to the top of every corridor and bellowing 'JAMES POTTER, QUIDDITCH CHAMPION, COMING THIS WAY!!' James was glad that he had Sirius sometimes. He might be insane, but he was a good friend. When they reached Defence Against the Dark Arts, the rest of the Gryffindors congratulated James.

'Well done, James,' Lily said, clapping her hands together.

'Nice one, Jamesy,' said Frank, clapping him on the back. The class were so busy congratulating James that they hadn't even noticed Professor Loughran arrive. James noticed him first, however, and said loudly 'Alright, sir?' This diverted a few people's attentions.

'Thank you, James. Inside please.' The class filed in. 'Now, you've all being doing some great work in the past few lessons, so I thought today, we could talk a little about some of the less – straightforward Dark creatures, mainly werewolves and vampires. Now, don't worry, I don't plan on bringing any up for you to have a look at, I'm just going to talk a bit about them. We'll look at vampires first, now, can anyone tell me -'

They talked for half of the lesson about Vampires, about how Dracula had revealed them to Muggles, and how it had leaked out how Vampires were destroyed by garlic, after a Frenchman had crossed the path of one once. It was fairly interesting, but after a while James' mind wandered back to Quidditch. In just over a month, he would play his first Quidditch game – it still hadn't quite got through to him yet.

Soon, Professor Loughran switched to talking about werewolves. About halfway through, James turned around to look at his classmates. Sirius was engraving 'Snape stinks' into his desk with the engraver James had given him last Christmas. Frank, alone, was paying attention to Loughran. Peter was telling a joke to Lily, Katie and Michelle. Sarah and Heather were talking about something – Sirius, from the sound of it and Remus … James stared when he looked at Remus. He was sitting bolt upright at his desk, with his hands over his ears, and an expression of absolute horror over his face. Why? James thought. Remus wasn't scared of werewolves, was he? His Boggart had changed into a crystal ball, hadn't it? It was a silvery, white orb…unless…a sudden, disturbing idea hit James. It was fantastical, incredible, it – it – it clicked. It was as though a light bulb had been switched on in James head. He understood

Remus was absent every month, without fail. James had never noticed that it always seemed to be around the same period – towards the start of every month. There was usually a full moon around the start of every month. It was a fantastical theory, but James could think of no alternative – Remus was a werewolf!

He sat there, thinking it over in his head. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Remus' Boggart was no crystal ball – it was the moon, which was what he was most afraid of. Remus was now looking horrified, because Professor Loughran was telling his friends exactly how to kill him. Remus' mother probably wasn't ill, he just had to go and transform every month, but where? James thought, and the solution came to him. The Whomping Willow…Dumbledore had never given a definite reason for that being planted … it was planted when Remus arrived. If there was some sort of tunnel underneath…Remus could get under there, somehow, and transform, and no one could get in past the Willow after him. James sat there, transfixed. Other details were coming back to him. Remus had missed the Sorting … yes! There was a full moon that night! James remembered looking through the enchanted ceiling at it.

He looked over at Remus. Poor Remus…no wonder he always looked so pale. As James looked at him, he couldn't fail to be impressed with Remus' bravery. One thing struck him, however. Why hadn't Remus told them? That answer came to him immediately. Undoubtedly if someone found out, a parent, for example, Remus would be expelled. James could think of only one teacher who would give Remus a chance … Dumbledore. It all made sense. Dumbledore had admitted Remus on the condition that he tall no one and transform in secret every month. Remus must have concocted his mother's illness – or perhaps Dumbledore did – so that nobody asked too many questions. James was suddenly amazed that he hadn't worked it out sooner.

He looked over at Remus again. Then another thought struck him. Remus might not have told his close friends – Sirius, Peter and James – for fear of rejection. James thought about it. If he were a werewolf, he wouldn't want to tell his friends, in case they disowned him. James had to tell Remus that he knew, and that he didn't care. Remus was a great friend, and a wonderful person – did he really think that they would desert him? But then he sympathised with his friend. Him being a werewolf was obviously very difficult, and – James suddenly remembered something else. When he was younger, before he came to Hogwarts. The dreams … the dreams he had – about a werewolf biting a small child – it had to be Remus. He remembered when he first met Remus. He had recognised him – from the dream. James mind was still spinning. Remus was his friend. He wouldn't tell anyone about it – Remus could tell whom he wanted, that was his business – but he had to tell him that he knew. 

At lunchtime, James ate his dinner quietly, turning frequently to look at Remus. His hands were still shaking. James was amazed at the courage and bravery of his friend, getting through it all. He could now clearly see why Remus was a Gryffindor. James tried to imagine what it must be like for him. Scared – afraid of rejection – you would like to tell your friends, but you've been implored not to. That was not the sort of life that a twelve year old deserved. James thought – they had to make it up to him somehow.

In the common room that night, James let everyone else go to bed, whilst making Remus stay and play chess with him. He didn't even stop Sirius and Peter going – Remus could tell them if and when he wanted to. When everybody had finally left, and they were the last two left in the common room, James worked up his courage.

'Remus?' he asked softly.

'Yeah?' said Remus. He was looking cheerful, as he was winning.

'Why didn't you tell me?' The change in Remus expression was incredible. In a few seconds, he turned from looking cheerful and happy to terrified and suspicious.

'Tell you what?' he said nervously.

'Don't bother trying to hide it, Remus. I know.' Remus looked completely helpless. He leaned forwards and started sobbing into one of his cushions.

'How long have you known?' he choked.

'Since this morning. You weren't exactly wearing your poker face during Defence Against the Dark Arts.' Remus sobbed harder.

'Look, Remus. I know you think, that because I know, I'm going to desert you, but I'm not.' Remus looked up.

'Ser – Seriously?' he said weakly.

'Of course not. You're one of my best friends. D'you really think that you being a werewolf would matter to me? D'you think that I wouldn't talk to you again? You can't help being a werewolf, Remus, and we're your friends. We'll support you, not shun you.' Remus face broke into a weak smile.

'You – you mean it?'

'Of course. Sirius and Peter – if you tell them – will help you as well. We all will. That's what friends are for.' Remus didn't burst into tears, but few tears leaked out of his eyes.

'Thank you, James. I don't know where I'd be without you.'

'C'mon,' said James, hoisting Remus back onto his seat. 'Look, just remember this. No matter what happens, or what anyone says, we'll always be friends. All of us. You, me, Sirius and Peter. Always.' Remus laughed weakly again.

'Dumbledore said I wouldn't be able to keep it from you for long. Said you would work it out eventually.' James smiled. 'I suppose you worked out that my mum isn't ill, either.'

'Yeah, but it was quite a clever set-up. Dumbledore should've given us a proper reason for the planting of the Whomping Willow. Is there a tunnel under there?'

'Yeah. It leads to the Shrieking Shack, you know, in Hogsmeade. If you ever hear rumours when you go next year that it's haunted, then just remember that it's me.' James nodded, smiling.

'So, were you afraid that we wouldn't like you when we found out?' Remus nodded, and pulled something out of his pocket. Four, identical letters, in small brown envelopes.

'I sent these. Look, read it.'

James (one of the letters read), I don't really know how to express this. It's something that I've wanted to tell you since the start of last year, but I haven't had the courage. You may have guessed, you may not have, but my mother isn't really ill. The truth is, James, that I'm a, a werewolf. Please don't hate me for it. I've been a werewolf since I was five; I was bitten when walking through the forest. I've tried to tell you, but it has been too difficult. I will talk to you when you've read this message.

Remus

James noticed how shaken the handwriting was around the word 'werewolf'. 

'I was going to send them to you, back at your house, but I couldn't. I finally managed to post them, one by one, but when I saw them arrive, my courage failed again. Yours, I took off the table when no one was looking. Sirius', I summoned it – I learned the Summoning charm a while ago – and Peter's and my own, I just put into my bag when nobody was looking. You made the mistake of giving them to me instead of him.'

'Why did you send one to yourself?'

'As a decoy. I didn't want you to suspect me. The day Peter's letter was due to arrive; I snuck up and gave the letter to one of the school owls, which delivered it to me. Then, when they went missing, you wouldn't suspect me as the thief because you would think that I was a victim.

'Has it been difficult, the last seven years?'

'You've no idea. The only people in the world who know are my parents, Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey, McGonagall and now you. None of the other staff know. I will tell Sirius and Peter, though.'

'Yeah. What are your transformations like?' James felt it would be good if Remus told him a bit about his problem.

'Very painful. You've no idea how horrible it is to change from a human to a werewolf. And since I have no one to bite, I bite myself.' Remus took off his robe, and lifted his t-shirt gingerly. 'See here?' he pointed to a large scar across his chest. 'That's the original bite. These are scars since.' He pointed to a number of scars of his arm.'

'Remus, that's terrible.'

'Oh, I had worse than that. I had a great gash, right across my back, but fortunately, Madam Pomfrey was able to fix that one.'

'What happened on the Sorting night?'

'Well, Dumbledore and I both knew I was going to transform, and Madam Pomfrey took me down to the secret tunnel. It's quite ingenious, really. If you press the knot on the trunk, then the tree freezes, and you can get in. I walk up to the Shrieking Shack, and Madam Pomfrey leaves me. She comes back when he moon has gone down. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you all this before, but I was so scared.'

'C'mon, here y'are,' James gave Remus his robe back. 'Just remember, we're always friends. I'm impressed with your bravery. Seriously, I don't know many people who could be werewolves and still manage to keep it under wraps. Hopefully, there'll be something we can do to make it up to you.'

'What d'you mean?'

'Remus, you're twelve years old. You just don't deserve this. There has to be a way that you can enjoy school life, even as a werewolf.'

'Thanks, James. I should've known better than to doubt you.'

'No problem. You deserve to be treated as an individual, with what you've been through, I think –'

'What are you two still doing down here?' It was Sirius. James looked questioningly at Remus. Remus nodded.

'Sirius, go and get Peter and come back down here,' said James.

'Why?'

'We need to tell you something. Go on.' Looking bemused, Sirius turned and headed back up the stairs.

'Sure you're ready to tell them, Remus?' 

'Yeah. Now that you know, I think that they should, too. You're sure they won't desert me?'

'Of course not. You can trust Peter and Sirius one hundred per cent. Anyway, here they come. Do you want to tell them or shall I?'

'Give them a few clues. Let them work it out.' Sirius and Peter entered the room, and sat down.

'What's up?' said Sirius, grinning. 

'There's something you need to know, about me,' said Remus quietly.'

'What?'

'Sirius,' said James quietly. 'Remus' mum isn't really ill. There's a reason he's missing every month.'

'What is it?' said Peter breathlessly.

'There's also a reason,' said James heavily. 'Why his Boggart turns into the full moon.' The change in Sirius and Peter's faces was astounding. James had never seen Sirius looking so deadly serious.

'How long?' he whispered.

'Seven years,' Remus replied, showing them the scar.

'Oh, Remus,' said Sirius, gazing at the scar. 'We're so sorry. You should've told us.'

'I tried to,' he held up the letters, and James quickly explained.

'But why are you telling us now?' asked Peter.

'James,' said Remus. 'He figured it out.' Sirius and Peter smiled.

'There's a surprise,' said Sirius, grinning. 'Oh, Remus, why didn't you tell us? Don't tell me – you didn't think we'd abandon you, did you?' Remus nodded mutely. James quietly explained everything to Sirius and Peter. Remus had nearly fallen asleep on the armchair.

'Poor Remus,' said Peter, when James had finished, and Remus was asleep. 'Seven years – how did he do it?'

'I can't believe you saw it happen, in a dream,' said Sirius.

'It's weird, isn't it? Funny, I knew Hogwarts would be interesting, but I never thought that one of my best friends would be a werewolf.'

'I do think your idea is good though, about trying to make it up to him.'

'Yeah,' said Peter. 'I agree. We'll have to think of something.'

'C'mon,' said James. 'Let's get him upstairs. Pete, get the doors, would you?' James and Sirius managed to carry Remus up to the dorm and place him on his bed. He still looked horribly pale.

'I think it'll be easier for him, now that we know. Know what? We should tell Dumbledore, and ask if we can go with Madam Pomfrey next time there's a full moon.'

'Good idea, James,' said Sirius, nodding. James didn't notice straightaway, but that was the first time Sirius had called him 'James' since the beginning of their first year. James could tell that Sirius, and Peter, like him, all cared deeply for their friend, and were determined to help him get through it.

Finished. I kinda like this part; it's probably my favourite so far. In a way I'm just trying to show what good friends they all are, even if they've only known each other a year and a bit. As some clever person pointed out, yes, at some point, they will discover Animagi potion, and we'll see James as a Chaser. I have no idea whether he's a Chaser or a Seeker, and as it doesn't say in the books, I don't really care. If JKR rings me and tells me that he was a Seeker, fair enough, but other than that, I don't care. Also, someone, Patrick, I think it was, asked when Voldemort comes into the story more. Now, at this point, Voldemort has only just started out, so as the years progress, he'll have more and more influence. And someone that you all care about, well, two people, will become deceased at some point – Lily and James. 

Ciao


	6. The Werewolf (6)

*Cackles* Ooh, back again. Now, if there are any of you out there who like H/G fics, read Sine Qua Non, by, er, Arabella. If, like me, you like L/J, then read The Parents who died, by Someone the First, and if you like MWPP, then read, er, this. Now, I have to thank a few people. Firstly, LilyEvens (she knows who she is) for quite correctly pointing out that Lily knew about the Invisibility Cloak at Christmas in Blue Unicorn (Not that it really matters, just thought I'd tell you) and, I suppose I could thank my beta-reader, which is, sort of, The Microsoft® Word 2000 spellchecker…I dunno. If you think I make far too many mistakes and the like, e-mail me, but my spellchecker is good, in my opinion. This part is kinda an extension of the last – it is all about our dear friend Remus…

The next few days were particularly odd, even for Hogwarts. On the morning after James, Sirius and Peter had discovered Remus' secret, James had received a letter from Professor Dumbledore, imploring him, Sirius and Peter to come to the High Table at lunchtime. He would wait for them. They knew immediately it was to do with Remus, and after Herbology and Charms, the three of them made their way up to the front of the Great Hall. They realised that they had no idea where Dumbledore lived, and then understood why he had summoned them to the Hall and not his office. When they approached, Dumbledore waved his hand, implying that they should sit down whilst he finished his lunch. After he had finished his fish, Dumbledore jumped up.

'Follow me please, you three.' He led them out of the Great Hall and up the huge marble staircase. He led them along a few corridors, and came to a halt in front of a large and very ugly stone gargoyle.

'Phoenix tears,' he muttered, and the gargoyle immediately sprang to the side, revealing a large spiralling staircase, moving up like an escalator. The four of them climbed up the stairs, higher and higher, until they reached a large oak door with a griffon-shaped brass knocker. Dumbledore opened it, and led them inside. They seated themselves comfortably in his office. None of them were apprehensive – they knew what this was about.

'So, gentleman,' said Dumbledore, seating himself behind his desk and stroking a large Phoenix. James knew about Phoenixes; his uncle had once owned one. 'You know about your friend Mr. Lupin's condition?' They nodded. Dumbledore sighed.

'I knew it would not be long before you found out. I was amazed that Mr. Lupin managed to be here a year without telling you,' he sighed again. 'It has been very difficult for him. His father sent me a letter after he was admitted to Hogwarts, explaining everything to me. Now, as you well know, besides the fact that he is a werewolf, I know Mr. Lupin to be a clever pupil and a trusting friend. Would you not agree?' James, Sirius and Peter nodded.

'I agreed to let Remus come here, and arranged for the Whomping Willow to be planted for his transformations. His parents were ecstatic, but I also warned them of another – and I now see that I was right – possibility. I met Remus before he came here, and my instincts told me that it was quite possible that he would make good friends at Hogwarts. Now, it does not require much observational talent to notice if your friend disappears once a month. It would be especially difficult to explain if he had – as you can now appreciate that he does – intelligent friends. Therefore, his mother had the idea of a pretence illness, one requiring Remus to visit her every month.' Dumbledore stopped talking and lifted something out of his pocket. It was a small glass phial.

'The Department of Research for Magical Diseases and Illnesses has recently been looking into werewolves. They have not, as yet, found a cure other than the Aconite vaccine, which cures a werewolf bite, but only works within an hour. It was discovered five years after Remus was bitten. They are now looking into a potion which can prevent the murderous nature of the werewolf; this phial contains some research ingredients I will presently send over to them.'

'Now, as luck would have it, Remus' first transformation happened to be his first night at Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey took him down to the Shrieking Shack early in the evening and left him to transform. She returned in enough time to explain the situation to Professor McGonagall. Nobody on the staff but Madam Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall and I know of Remus' second identity – as last year showed you, not all teachers can be trusted (a/n That doesn't just hold true in the magical world…).' Dumbledore placed the phial back into his desk.

'Now, I went down to help Remus out after the full moon had faded. He really was in a dreadful state. The paleness of his skin, the terror in his eyes, not to mention that they were still slightly yellow – I felt sure it would give him away. Luckily, Madam Pomfrey managed to tidy him up in the Hospital Wing just enough to avoid suspicion – he could pass for being very tired.'

'When he was feeling slightly more energetic, I brought up to my office and had him sorted,' he motioned to the frayed Sorting Hat, which was lying on a desk behind him. 'He was placed in Gryffindor, and was confident enough to go and face you all – the Sorting Hat is never wrong.'

'Time passed, and before long, it became apparent that Remus had done just as I suspected – he had made good friends. Not only this, but he had made friends with the two cleverest wizards in the year. Somehow, using phenomenal strength of character, Remus kept his secret from you. He told me, on his transformation just after Christmas, how desperately he wanted to tell you all, and yet as you may have guessed, he feared one thing. Rejection. Therefore, he had to keep sticking to his story. I had kept his parents informed, and their delight was evident when I told them that not only was Remus settling in, and had good friends, he also had above-average marks. Now, you can imagine how difficult is has been for Remus' parents. They were helpless to prevent his fate, and felt sure Hogwarts would refuse him. When Remus was entered, it was undoubtedly the happiest moment of their lives; they told me so in a letter the day before term started.'

'And so, Remus has been keeping it a secret all this time. He didn't let anything slip, nor did he leave any of you any hints. As I have already told you, the fear of rejection was strong within him. However, it soon became possible that it would not last long. Remus told me that you three had started noticing his absences. Luckily, you accepted his story. Again, I must admit I was amazed with how long Remus had kept it in.'

'Rather unfortunately, however, this year's curriculum just happened to include Dark Creatures. Remus told me about his Boggart; he knew as soon as Professor Loughran mentioned it that it would turn into the full moon. He did manage to convince you that it was a crystal ball though. You may not have realised that at the time, but I don't think Remus can have encountered Divination as yet. The thing that broke the chain was Professor Loughran's descriptions of werewolves. He, of course, had no idea of Remus' condition. Now, I can tell you that it is not a nice thing to be sitting in a classroom with your teacher telling your friends exactly how to kill you. Remus said to me that he knew anyone looking at him would guess straightaway. He was completely horrified. Alas, he was right. One look at him and you, James, managed to comprehend his secret. He came to me this morning looking happier than I've ever seen him. He said – and I have to quote you here, James – that you had said, "We'll support you, not shun you". The three of you have shown yourselves as true friends, and I cannot begin to tell you how much Remus appreciates it.' There were a few minutes silence. James thought again about the previous night. 

'Now,' Dumbledore began, causing Sirius to start. 'You can understand that it is of the utmost importance that you keep this between yourselves. If it somehow leaked out, then Remus would undoubtedly have to leave the school. Parents do not want their children exposed to a werewolf.'

'We definitely won't tell anyone, sir,' said Sirius sincerely.

'I surmised as much, Sirius,' said Dumbledore, smiling. 'As long as this stays between the myself, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey and you three, I think we have little to fear.'

'Remus won't have to leave,' prompted Peter.

'Precisely. Now, I suggest that –'

'Sorry to interrupt, sir, but there was one more thing,' said James suddenly.

'James?'

'Er, next time Remus, you know, transforms, would it be all right for us to go with him? You know, to stay with Madam Pomfrey?'

'I'm sure Remus would appreciate it,' said Dumbledore, smiling. 'Now, I suggest you go back to Gryffindor Tower. Don't forget what I have said.'

'No sir,' said the three boys, and they left Dumbledore alone with his Phoenix and the Sorting Hat, to head back to the common room.

Remus was sitting in a corner reading Hogwarts: A History when they entered.

'Funny,' he said, as they approached. 'In here it says that the Whomping Willow was planted to scare off werewolves from the forest. Fat chance.'

'We've got something to tell you,' said Sirius. He, James and Peter proceeded to tell Remus about their conversation with Dumbledore and that they were allowed to escort him down to the Whomping Willow for his next transformation.

'Thanks, you three,' said Remus, when they had finished. 'Thanks.' He clapped all three of them on the back. 'I think I'll go to bed, I'm still kinda tired after last night … you know.'

'Hold on Remus, I'll come with you,' said James, and they left Peter and Sirius playing chess.

'Remus,' said James, as they entered the dormitory. 'Is there any way of making a werewolf, sort of, less vicious, that you know of?' 

'I really couldn't tell you, James. I mean, when I transform, my mind's a blur between becoming a werewolf and becoming a human again. S'kinda like being in a coma, or just being subconscious. I mean, I can always tell by looking at myself what I've become. Yellow eyes,' he was silent for a few seconds as he stood by the mirror and examined his reflection. 'Look at my eyes. They should be bright blue, but you can always see the tinge of yellow. When I turn back into a human, they're pure yellow for at least an hour.' James looked into Remus' eyes. He was right … He compared Remus' eyes with his own in the mirror … yes, there was a faint tinge. He was amazed that he had never noticed it before. Remus turned away from the mirror and started changing into his pyjamas.

'I'd be lost without you, Sirius and Peter; you do know that, don't you? Seriously, I dunno what I would've done if you'd rejected me.' Remus turned back into the mirror. James had never seen him paler.

'Remus,' he said comfortingly. 'Look, it isn't your fault. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. We all know that you don't deserve it, and as its been thrust upon you, helping you is the least we can do,' he put his arm around Remus' shoulder. 'I've said it before, and I'll say it again, we're here to support you, not shun you.' A few tears leaked from Remus' eyes. He didn't say anything, but James understood. Giving him one last reassuring smile, he closed his curtains for him, and listened as he fell asleep.

The prospect of seeing Remus just before his next transformation had the effect of speeding time up very quickly. The next full moon, according to Dumbledore, was the last day of September. Remus became increasingly edgy. James had never noticed this before, but Remus' mood definitely changed as the full moon drew nearer. As Dumbledore had predicted, Remus was very grateful that his friends were coming to support him when he transformed. 

The night of the thirtieth arrived before very long. Remus was looking very, very pale when they left for the Entrance Hall. James looked at his eyes as they exited the portrait hole – there was no doubt about it, they were definitely more yellow than usual. Madam Pomfrey was waiting for them in the Entrance Hall. She gave all of them a warm smile and led them out in to the grounds.

The night air was cold and sharp. The moon was hidden behind a cloud at present, though a part of it was visible. James noticed Remus eyeing it with apprehension.

'Don't worry, dear. It won't be fully visible for at least an hour. We've time.' She led them through the grounds until they fell into the shadows of the Whomping Willow. Its branches were looking as violent as ever, but Remus grabbed a stick and poked the trunk. The branches froze, and the five of them were able to get into the tunnel with ease.

Madam Pomfrey led them along a long, winding path. James noticed both Sirius and Remus shivering slightly. Remus was shivering from nerves, but Sirius said that he was cold, therefore James leant him his cloak. Before long, the path curved round and ended inside a small building – the Shrieking Shack. 

James found it difficult saying goodbye to Remus. He wasn't quite sure how to put it. In the end he just muttered 'good luck' and clapped Remus lightly on the back. When Remus was in, Madam Pomfrey magically locked the door of the Shack so that it would be impossible for Remus to escape. They left, and walked back down the passage in silence. When they were about halfway, they heard a blood-curdling howl from behind them. James could hardly get over the fact that his friend was making that sound – it was all so … paranormal. Then again, James reminded himself, as he heard snarling and howling from behind him, that that summed up the magical world perfectly. 

They returned to the school and waited – they had arranged to go and fetch Remus when the full moon waned – Dumbledore had allowed them to, as the next day was Saturday. The wait was not pleasant. They could still hear frequent howls, even though Remus was far away in Hogsmeade. Sirius was still shivering, though when James asked him, he found out that it wasn't due to the cold. Madam Pomfrey sent the boys back to Gryffindor Tower.

'I'll be going to fetch him at half past six. Meet me here.' She strode off in the direction of the Hospital Wing. The three boys headed silently back to the Tower, and as none of them could sleep, they played wizard chess. 

Six o' clock came before very long. James and Peter managed to shake Sirius awake, and the three of them made their way through the silent corridors of Hogwarts down to the Entrance Hall. They didn't meet anyone, partly because they weren't making any noise, and secondly because all three were hidden under the Invisibility Cloak. James didn't want to have to explain to Filch why he was creeping around the castle at six in the morning. They reached the Entrance Hall at twenty past. James slipped the Cloak into his pocket and they waited. 

Luckily, Madam Pomfrey was fairly acquainted with clocks, and she arrived at exactly half past. She didn't look like she'd slept much over the last few hours either. The grounds were still very cold when they stepped out of the Hall. The water in the lake was dark and murky, and some weak sunshine was glimmering over the trees of the Forbidden Forest. The moon had faded from sight. The Whomping Willow was thrashing at a few small butterflies when they approached, but James poked it with the stick and it froze.

James could see inside the tunnel a lot better now that it was slightly lighter. The damp walls were thick with the scent of moss and decay. The journey to the Shrieking Shack seemed to take longer than it had earlier. They were no howls or moans coming from up ahead – Remus had evidently transformed back into a human. They reached the end of the passage, and Madam Pomfrey whispered through the door.

'Remus? Remus? Are you in there?' said Madam Pomfrey. No reply. 'Don't worry,' she added, seeing the looks on James, Sirius and Peter's faces. 'He's probably just unconscious.' She unlocked the door, and they all walked in.

Remus was lying on the floor of the Shack, quite unconscious, but a human again. His face was convulsed with terror, his skin was deadly pale and his eyes, James noticed, were vivid yellow. Madam Pomfrey conjured a stretcher, and she and James lifted Remus onto it. They left the Shack with Remus floating along in front of them.

'How long is it before his eyes change colour?' James asked. Peter and Sirius evidently hadn't noticed this before, because at James' words, they went and peered closely at Remus.

'About an hour,' Madam Pomfrey answered. 'He'll have to spend the day in the Hospital Wing.'

'Why exactly are his eyes yellow?' Sirius asked.

'It's because – when he changes back into a human – it takes a little while for the – the werewolf in him to completely disappear. It takes time, but eventually, he's fully human again, with blue eyes.' Sirius nodded.

They had soon reached the castle.

'You can come up to the Hospital Wing, if you like. I've got some potion that'll revive him.'

'S'long as it doesn't Retrovive him,' Peter muttered.

By now, the castle was a little more awake. As they passed the Great Hall, they spotted a few early risers. Suddenly, there was a scream from the Hall. 

'What was that?' said James.

'You three, take him up to the Hospital Wing. I'll sort this out.' She left them standing alone.

'Jamesy?' said Sirius. 'Why don't you put the Cloak on Remus, so no-one sees him?'

'Good idea, Sirius,' James muttered, and he pulled the Cloak out of his pocket and covered Remus in it. Sirius and Peter walked to the end of the corridor to make sure that no one was coming. Just as James was about to join them, he heard an unpleasant voice.

'Oh look, it's Black and little Pettigrew.' It was Snape. He hadn't seen James.

'Can we help you, ratboy?' said Sirius calmly. James could almost see Snape's face as Sirius said this. Suddenly, there came a small shout, and the next minute, Sirius and Snape were rolling around on the floor in a whirl of fists. James ran forward and pulled out his wand, but before he could do a thing …

'Stupefy!' came a voice out of nowhere. Snape fell back, unconscious. Remus tugged the Cloak off himself. His yellow eyes were glittering.

'Cheers, Remus,' gasped Sirius.

'No problem,' croaked Remus. His voice was completely different.

'How're you feeling, Remus?' James asked

'Not good. Here, take the Cloak, I can walk.' Remus handed the Cloak back to James. They put Snape on the stretcher.

'What was the spell you used?' asked James. Remus pointed to Sirius.

'Stunning Spell,' said Sirius, talking for Remus. '"The victim is rendered unconscious for two hours unless the counter spell is used", or something like that.'

'What's the counter-curse?' Peter asked.

'I'll show you,' Remus muttered. 'Enverate.' Snape woke up.

'Go away, Snape!' James hissed. Snape seemed more than willing. He got off the stretcher and strode away. Giving them all one furious look, he turned the corner, out of sight.

'What an idiot,' Sirius muttered. 'How many times will we have to curse him before he leaves us alone?' James shrugged.

'Dunno – ow!' said Remus.

'What's wrong?'

'My leg. Ow – can I get back on there? Thanks.'

They managed to reach the Hospital Wing without meeting anyone else. James and Peter gingerly lifted him onto a bed whilst Sirius fetched him some water.

'Do you want any food, Remus?' Sirius asked. Remus nodded.

'Yeah, I'm starving. Couldn't get us some breakfast, could you?'

'It's only because I'm your friend,' Sirius said, grinning 'Yeah, sure. Jamesy? Can I have ze Cloak?' James handed Sirius the Cloak, and he disappeared out of the door. He returned about half an hour later, laden down with food. He was carrying a plate of bacon and eggs for Remus, and some toast for James, Peter and himself.

'We had no idea you were such a chef, Sirius,' Peter remarked.

'S'amazing,' Sirius spluttered through a mouthful of pumpkin juice. 'They're so ickle and squeaky, and yet they're such good cooks.'

'Quite,' said James. 'Now, I have a rather nasty essay about Animagi to finish, so could I just – ' James froze. The most brilliant idea had just come to him. 

'What?' Asked Remus.

'Animals,' James whispered. 'Of course – that's brilliant … wait here, you three.' As James hurtled out of the Hospital Wing, he distinctly heard Sirius say 'Overstimulated – needs more sleep.' He laughed, not only at that, but also at the brilliance of his scheme.

Animagi. They could become Animagi. He needed to check one thing first, however. He hurtled along the corridors, only stopping to help Lily when he knocked her over.

'Sorry, Lil', in a hurry, speak to you later.' He said as he helped her onto her feet.

'But – James, what –'

'Later.'

He got back to the common room and sprinted up to the dormitory. He found the book he needed and flicked through until he found what he was looking for. He read quietly.

The Animagus transformation is extremely difficult and closely monitored by the Ministry of Magic. Animals have many distinct advantages over humans. For example… 

James read on until he found the passage he was looking for.

_Animagi also have the ability to mix with Dark creatures, especially vampires and werewolves, whom are only a threat to humans_.

This was it. The answer they'd been looking for. If he, Sirius and Peter became Animagi, they could accompany Remus when he transformed. It was brilliant, and yet, and yet … James quickly dove onto Sirius' bed. He opened Sirius' trunk, and pulled out _Complex Potions_. He flipped to the index, and found Animagi. He turned to look at the Animagus potion, and his eyes widened. This had to be the most difficult potion to procure in the world. Now he understood why the Minstry of Magic monitored transformations. Granted, it probably wasn't as difficult as the Mortefermata or Retrovivation Potions; it didn't contain Blue Unicorn dust, but this potion would take a very, very long time to prepare. He looked slowly at pictures of failed transfigurations. He had to stifle a laugh when he saw a picture of a wizard who had become a fine oak tree. But then the entirety of the situation hit him. If they did this, no, they would do this, they had to, for Remus, then there was a chance they could end up the same. It was going to take all of James and Sirius' intellect to pull it off.

But James was set. He wasn't a werewolf. He didn't have to suffer the way Remus did. If he, Peter and Sirius became Animagi, they could accompany Remus every full moon; they could make it more bearable for him. This was something they had to do. James swore to himself that he wouldn't stop working until they could all change into animals at will. First, though, he had to tell the others. Picking up his _Advanced Transfiguration _book and Sirius' _Complex Potions_, he sped down to the common room and out the door. Lily, who was entering, looked just as confused as she had when he had lifted her onto her feet.

When James entered the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey seemed to be force-feeding Remus some foul medicine. Sirius and Peter were too busy laughing at Remus' face to notice James slip in. Remus swallowed the potion and Madam Pomfrey, looking satisfied, took the goblet and strode back to her office.

'All right, Jamesy?' Sirius asked, noticing James. 'Has the insanity subsided?'

'Not in you,' said James, 'but that's not important. I've come up with the ultimate plan. Better than showing Snape's underwear at a Quidditch match.' (a/n see The Flower and the Stag, part 11).

'I'm listening,' said Sirius.

'Right. Now, we know that as a werewolf, Remus would kill us if we went anywhere near him. Not to be over-dramatic, but it's true,' Remus nodded. ' So, I thought, if we can't accompany him as humans, why not try accompanying him as _animals_?' Sirius, Peter and Remus, looked confused for a second, but then it hit them.

'Animagi,' whispered Sirius. 'Animagi – Brilliant!'

'Precisely. But this isn't the sort of thing that we can do overnight. It'll take as least two, probably three years. But if we have wait until fifth year to become Animagi, that's fine by me.'

'Yeah,' said Remus. 'You'd be able to able to be down there with me. I only attack humans. I mean, there are loads of rats in the Shack, but even as a werewolf I'm sure I don't attack them. I mean, I'd know. There'd be dead rats on the floor and blood on my hands.'

'There's blood on your hands when you transform?' asked James.

'Yep. That is, if I kill anything,' replied Remus nonchalantly. 

'Anyway,' said Sirius, evidently wanting to change the subject. 'When can we start?'

'Have a look in here,' said James, handing him _Complex Potions_. 

'Damn thief,' said Sirius. 'Let's see – Animagus transformation – here we are – bloody hell. This is going to take forever. Look at this.' He showed it to Remus and Peter.

'You don't have a chance,' said Remus faintly.

'Look,' said James firmly. 'Sirius and I are the cleverest in the year, right?'

''Cept Lily,' said Sirius.

'No. This stays between us, or else Remus'll get found out. We can do this. Most of these ingredients,' he gazed down at _Complex Potions_, 'we can get in the school. Some we can get from the store cupboard, some we can get from Turner and some – some we can get from the Forest.' James expected the others to argue, but they didn't.

'You're right, James,' said Peter. 'We can use the Cloak to get into Turner's stores and the Forest.'

'Exactly. Now, I'm not denying that it won't take long, but Sirius, you're the best in the year at Potions, and I'm good at Transfiguration. We should be able to do it.'

'You're only _good_ at Transfiguration?' said Sirius amazedly. 'We need to remove your modesty gene,' James glared at him. 'But what I mean is, good plan, Jamesy, we'll start as soon as possible.'

'That's more like it. Right, we can start collecting on Monday. There's no point in wasting time. Now, like I say, some of these ingredients are complicated. There's one here, Silver Yew … Sirius?'

'Oh, god, er, Silver Yew,' Sirius began. 'Now, what did that book say?' That's it. It's a small plant – poisonous, there won't be one in school, we'll need to look in the Forest – and – there's something else – oh yeah, it can only be picked at the full moon.' Remus paled.

'Great,' he muttered. 'Well, I don't think I'll be there.'

''Doesn't matter. As long as you can't get out.'

'You don't have to worry about that,' said Remus, smiling wryly.

And so, the collection began. Every Potions lesson, James, Sirius, Peter and Remus would take ingredients that they needed for the potion. Because of the Cloak, they were able to swipe things from Turner's office without him noticing. For now, they kept the ingredients in James and Sirius' trunks.

Around the school, meanwhile, the usual magnificent Halloween decorations had started appearing around the castle. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had been decorating the Great Hall and Hagrid's pumpkin patch was filled with huge pumpkins for the occasion. Flitwick's own classroom was covered in glittering, multi-coloured fairies.

Fortunately, Remus' transformation would not be on Halloween, as it had been the previous year. He had already explained that on that occasion, he had overslept, and very nearly transformed within the castle. Luckily, Dumbledore had managed to get him down to the Shrieking Shack before the moon appeared. The full moon for this year was on the second.

On the night before Halloween, James sat up playing chess with James Junior. Sirius was stealing food from the kitchens, Remus and Peter were having their own game of chess, and Frank, John Brown and the girls were having a loud game of Exploding Snap in the corner. Just as James Junior said 'Checkmate', grinning, Sirius returned, laden down, as he so often was, with food. As everyone was very hungry, Sirius started to throw food into the crowd. His theory was that everyone would get something, but this wasn't happening, because Remus, as the only person to know the Summoning Charm, was merely summoning all the food to where he and Peter were sitting. After a while, Sirius decided just to eat it himself. 

After a little while, James decided to join in with the large game of Exploding Snap, as did Sirius and Remus. Peter and James Junior, as the winners of their respective chess games, were now playing each other. It was quite late before Sirius managed to persuade everyone to go to bed.

As the next day was Halloween, James thought he'd start the day with a friendly pillow fight. As he was contemplating this, he was caught off-guard by an already-prepared Sirius. The thing was that the five boys, all being quite good with new curses, were now using them within their fights. Remus would be summoning pillows from all over the room. Frank would be doing the opposite, banishing them. Peter and Sirius would be hitting each other and trying to avoid being hit themselves and James would just have given up with pillows and be placing various hexes on his friends.

So, after an eventful morning, the five boys, who had now missed breakfast, decided to get some food from the kitchens and walk down to Hagrid's. Sirius had the idea of taking _Complex Potions_, to see if Hagrid knew any of the ingredients. 

They found Hagrid outside his hut, watering his pumpkins and whistling at the same time. He seemed happy about something.

'Afternoon, Hagrid,' said Sirius, when he was sure Hagrid could see them.

'Mornin'. Here, you five, c'min here. Got summat ter show yeh.' He led them into his hut. On the floor, there was a small puppy, sniffing at one of Hagrid's hams hanging on the wall.

'Isn' he beautiful?' Hagrid asked. 'His name's Fang. In abou' six weeks he'll be three times tha' size.' James had to agree, the little puppy was positively cute. He'd better not tell the girls, or they'd be down here from morning until night.

'Dumbledore gave me permission ter keep him. When he's grown, he can come with me into the Forest.' James bent down, and he soon saw the reason for Fang's name. He might have only been little, but his fangs were already sharp.

'What kind of dog is he, Hagrid?' Frank asked

'Boarhound. Dead loyal, them. Look, look, isn't he sweet?' Fang was licking Hagrid's giant fingers. Hagrid picked him up. He almost fit into the palm of Hagrid's hands, but James thought that he wouldn't be surprised if Fang was ten times bigger by the end of November.

They spoke to Hagrid for a while. He didn't seem to be able to help them much with their potion. They hadn't told him about it, but they had surreptitiously asked about the ingredients. They walked back up to the school shortly before the Halloween feast. Lily and Katie were talking about something in a corner when they entered the common room, but they started giggling when the boys entered. From all he had heard, the talk seemed to be regarding Sirius, which disturbed him slightly.

The Gryffindor second years made their way down to the Great Hall together. They found seats at the Gryffindor table easily. James had to marvel inwardly at the décor of the Great Hall. Fairies were fluttering around, with bright lights making them glitter in the darkness. Live bats haunted the areas around the ceiling; they swooped in large groups every so often. The house tables were sparkling – it was almost as though there were fairies inside them.

The food at the feast was magnificent. The house elves seemed to have pulled out all the stops. James spoke in an undertone to Sirius about the potion, though he did look up when someone on the other side of the Hall exploded with laughter – Snape. It looked like somebody from Ravenclaw had hit him with a laughing curse.

'Who did that?' James asked Frank.

'That kid over there. See? The Chinese one.'

'Who, Jason Mak?' (a/n There you are, Jase,)

'How do you know who he is?' asked Sirius.

'He's a Chaser, for Ravenclaw. He's in the year above us.'

'Must be alright if he hates Snapey.' Sirius said.

The rest of the feast passed without great incident. The Gryffindors made their way back up to the common room, most of them too full and sleepy to do anything. It was only Sirius and James who stayed up, to play chess.

'Anyway,' said Sirius. 'We're doing okay on ingredients. Remus managed to get some of that Turtle Stomach dew.'

'How nice,' said James. 'Yeah, and Peter got the Unicorn hair.'

'Good. It won't be long before we can –' Sirius' words were cut off by a loud scream from the girl's dorm. Both boys jumped to their feet and hurtled up the stairs towards the screaming.

'It's Lily,' said James. 'This happened before – last year.'

'On Halloween?' Sirius asked. James nodded. They entered the room to see the other four Gryffindor girls, now awake, backing away from Lily.

'No, no, not Harry! Not Harry!' she said. 'Please – I'll do anything, please! Not Harry!'

'It's the same nightmare,' said Michelle. James had to wake Lily up. He sat on her bed, held her arms and shook her gently.

'James? Is that you?' Lily asked dazedly. 'Where – what happened? Where's Harry?'

'Harry?'

'Who's Harry?' Lily asked, seemingly waking up properly.

'You've had another nightmare, Lil',' said Sirius.

'Oh. Thanks, James.' James let go of her arms. He was shaken. This was the second time she'd had the dream, at the same time, on the same day. Wishing the girls goodnight again, he and Sirius left for their own dorm. Sirius seemed to read James' mind, and remained silent.

As James got into bed, he tried to put it out of his mind. It affected him, for some reason. He rolled over, to try and get more comfortable. He needed sleep, but Lily's screaming was something that was difficult to forget.

Finito. Ooh, this part's quite long, actually. Thing is, I've already written six chapters and we're only just into November. This could take a while. It's already forty-four pages of 12-point TNR on A4. Blue Unicorn was fifty-five sides… Anyways, if you're still awake, would you be kind enough to review? Please? Next part should consist of transforming, stealing ingredients and food, and a Quidditch match. Oh yeah, you'll find Jason Mak comes in a bit, too (a/n Satisfied?) You won't understand the last sentence, but review anyway.

Ciao


	7. The Werewolf (7)

Back again, kids. Now, Twilight and Silence (Marvellous person, reviewed nearly all my stories) asked me last time how it was that Hogwarts: A History could have info on the Whomping Willow. My excuse is that H:AH magically updates itself every year. Ho hum. Oh, and er, Leap, the Invisibility Cloak will fit into James' pocket, because I said so, 'cause I'm the author. Heh heh.Also, I know the Spanish word for James is Iago, but what I've put sounds better. This part's … interesting …

When James woke late the next morning, after an uneasy night's sleep, he felt terrible. He looked into the mirror hanging by Sirius' bed. His face was paler than Remus', although his eyes were blue, which was something. He climbed out of bed, dressed slowly, and walked down to the common room. Something was troubling him – he didn't know why exactly he was feeling so ill. He'd certainly had less sleep than this before – the last time Remus had transformed – but the only thing it could possibly be to do with was Lily's dream, that was what had been troubling him the previous night. Then again, why should that affect him? (a/n don't say a thing.)

The common room was fairly full. Peter and Sirius were sitting in a corner, doing their Transfiguration homework, and Remus was reading something.

'Jamesy!' said Sirius, as he spotted James. 'Come to help – my god, what's wrong? You look terrible.'

'Don't feel so good either,' said James, somehow forcing his face into a smile.

'Is this how I look every month?' Remus asked.

'S'every day with you,' Peter replied.

'Thanks,' said Remus sarcastically. 'James? How're you feeling? Do you wanna go to the Hospital Wing?'

'Yeah, I will, but I need something to eat first.' He made to get up, but Sirius stopped him.

'Ah, ah, ah. You're going nowhere, Tiago. Now, what do you want to eat?'

'Use your imagination,' said James. 'Actually – wait a moment – don't use your imagination. Something tasty, please.'

'That narrows it down,' said Sirius, grinning. Reassuring James that he would not use his imagination or his own culinary skills, he bounced out of the common room, with Remus and Peter – both looking positively worried – behind him.

James sat down in the largest armchair by the fireplace. He picked up the book that Remus had been reading – he recognised it as his own _Advanced Transfiguration _– Remus had evidently been doing a bit more research. He flipped to the Animagi page, and saw one passage underlined.

_For the Animagus transformation to be successful, a small part, usually a hair, of the animal the recipient_ _intends to transform into must be procured and added to the potion._

_ _

James suddenly thought about that. Which animal did he want to be? A large one, preferably. A lion? No, probably too dangerous. His instincts might cause him to eat Sirius by mistake, and he didn't want that. It might stain his hands. A dog? No, though he could suggest that to one of the others. There had to be some suitable animal. Just a normal wolf? Perhaps… James sat and pondered the possibilities for a few minutes. His thoughts were only interrupted when Lily entered the common room. She looked slightly pale, too, as though she hadn't slept much.

'Lily,' James called. 'Come over here.' Lily turned around, saw James, and approached the table.

'Hi James,' she said. 'How come you haven't – what's wrong? You look awful.'

'That's a popular opinion this morning,' said James, with a wry smile. 'Yeah, I wanted to ask you something. You know the nightmare you had? Last night?' Lily nodded.

'Can you, er, remember what was in it?'

'No, all I remember is a flash of green light.'

'Green light,' James whispered. 'Of course…Avada Kedavra.'

'Abracadabra?' said Lily, bemused.

'No. Avada Kedavra,' said James. 'The killing curse. When it's performed, there's green light.' Lily looked horrified.

'But, then, why was it in my dream?'

'I'd rather not know, somehow,' said James uncomfortably.

'Why did you want to know, anyway?'

'Well, put it this way. Since I joined Hogwarts, I've never been ill, even when I've missed a whole night's sleep. And yet this morning I feel terrible. I'm sure it's to do with your dream.'

'But why? Why should it affect you?' asked Lily. James chuckled.

'I asked myself the same thing. I don't know, but it's odd. I'll ask Madam Pomfrey – I'm going to the Hospital Wing in a sec.' 

'What are you waiting for?'

'Room service,' James replied. 

Lily was explaining the Summoning Charm to James when Sirius, Remus and Peter returned.

'How're you feeling, Tiago?' Sirius asked.

'Well, Lily's here, and you know all about our infatuation, so good, actually,' James replied. Lily chuckled.

'What an odd sense of humour you have, James. Anyway, must be off. Ciao.' (a/n about this word … don't ask) She leapt off her chair and out of the portrait hole.

'She'll be gorgeous some day, mark my words,' said Sirius, watching Lily as she left 'anyway, your food is here, so eat, and then we can escort you to the Hospital Wing.'

'Do I detect young love?' James asked shrewdly.

'What? Lily and me? Well no, not really. I'm saving myself for, er, someone else.'

'Heather,' said James, laughing

'Precisely.'

Whilst James ate his food, Sirius talked about some of the ingredients for the Animagi potion that they were going to have to get from the Forbidden Forest.

'Now, Silver yew'll be the hardest, 'cause it's so small. And there are others, too. It's gonna take quite a few little excursions to get everything together.'

'Are you going down with Remus tomorrow night?' James asked. 'You could go down to the Forest when Pomfrey leaves. You can borrow the Cloak.'

'Aren't you coming?'

'Depends. I'll see how I feel. I'm not feeling too good just this minute.'

'Never mind, Tiago, me and Peter can have a little look in there.'

'Yes, quite. Anyway, what are you planning to do before then?'

'Not sure. I'll think of someone.'

'Yes, you very often do. Anyway, thanks for the grub, I need to be off to the Hospital Wing.'

'Here y'are, wait for me!'

They made their way up to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey was in her office, without any patients, which was probably why she seemed happier than usual.

'Take this bed, Potter. My, you do look pale. Any idea what caused it?'

'Nope,' replied James. 'I was hoping you might be able to tell me.'

'Well, I can't this minute. Would you like to sleep for a while?'

'Yeah, okay,' said James, suddenly realising that he was still tired.

'Put these on,' she said, handing him some bed robes. James changed quickly, and soon fell back into a deep sleep.

The first things James saw when he woke up were two sets of eyes. One set were bright green and the others yellowy-blue. He reached out for his glasses, and was able to focus properly.

'Remus. Lily,' he said, recognising the owners of the eyes. 'What brings two fine peoples such as yourselves to a place like this.' 

'Can't remember,' said Remus, grinning. 'Oh yeah, you. We were discussing how innocent you look when you're asleep.'

'Are you implying I'm not innocent when I'm awake?' said James, in mock horror.

'Something like that,' said Lily, laughing. 'Anyways, we've visited the house elves for you. Such generous creatures.'

'Where is the person currently known as Sirius?' James asked, taking an apple from Lily.

'He had to pick something up off Turner,' said Lily. 'Why he took your Cloak, I'll never know.'

'Yes, odd that,' said James, with a sidelong glance at Remus, who grinned. They knew what Sirius was up to.

Presently, Sirius returned, and he, Remus and Lily left for the Gryffindor common room. Madam Pomfrey came out of her office to check on James.

'Any idea what's wrong with me yet?' James asked.

'Not really, dear, but if you drink this you should be fine, and you can go back to Gryffindor Tower.'

'Can I? Really?' said James in surprise. 'Excellent.' He drained the potion and suddenly felt a lot better.

'You're sure you don't have any idea what caused it, Potter?'

'No,' James lied, and left the Hospital Wing. He somehow didn't think Madam Pomfrey would believe him.

As James was passing the Great Hall, two people joined him, Ben Coates and Jason Mak. They were talking in an undertone about something.

'All right, James?' Ben asked, coming up to him. 'Oh, Jase, this is James Potter. You know, the one that hates that Slytherin kid.'

'Oh, don't be silly. Sirius and I love Snapey,' said James, grinning.

''Course,' said Ben. 'Anyway, James, first Quidditch practice is on Friday. Come down to the Quidditch pitch at six.'

'Who's our first game against?'

'Us,' replied Jason. 'Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor.' His accent was pure English. Evidently the oriental strain in him went back a few generations.

'Should be fun,' said James. 'Anyway, see you kids later. I'm hungry. Must be off to ze kitchens.'

'Where're the kitchens?' Ben asked, as James turned to leave.

'Trade secret,' said James, as he turned the corner, laughing.

After a short detour to the kitchens, James walked back up to the common room. Now that he was feeling better, he thought he might be able to accompany Sirius and Peter to the Forest. On entering the common room, though, he found that neither them nor Remus were in there. He spotted Heather and Lily doing their Potions homework in the corner, and approached them.

'Lily? Heather? Have either of you seen Sirius, Peter or Remus?'

'Yeah,' replied Heather. 'They're in the library.'

'Are you feeling better, James?' Lily asked.

What're you doing?'

'Stuff about Animagi,' Heather answered, looking down at her parchment. '"What is the main ingredient in the Animagi potion?"'

'Silver yew,' James replied, as he turned to leave. 'Thanks. I'll see you two lovely ladies later. Bye.' He left them poring over their homework and headed for the library. Sure enough, he found Sirius, Peter and Remus looking at books in there. 

'Looking up ingredients?' James asked Sirius, whose face was hidden in _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_.

'Oh, all right Jamesy?' said Sirius, looking up. 'Feeling better? Yeah, we're just looking for some of these harder ingredients.'

'Good. I should be able to come to the Forest tomorrow.'

'Excellent. Where's the Cloak? We'll need it.'

'In the dorm.' 

For the rest of the afternoon, Sirius and James spent time in the common room planning their excursion the next day. They had never actually been inside the Forest before, so both of them were slightly apprehensive, though excited at the same time. Remus was looking paler and paler as the day progressed. James and Sirius tried to comfort him by taking his mind off his coming transformation.

After a short night's sleep, the second dawned early for James. He felt much better, and was sure he'd be able to go to the Forest that night. Sirius and Remus were already up, quietly discussing the properties of Silver yew leaves. 

Because of what they were about to do, the day passed very quickly. They spent most of it playing Exploding Snap, though they did manage to get some homework done as well. After dinner, James went up to the dorm, fetched the Cloak, and the four boys sat in the common room, waiting nervously. Sirius, who seemed the calmest, was finishing his Herbology homework in the corner, whereas James, Remus and Peter were sitting in silence by the fire. 

Finally, it was time. The four boys walked down to the Entrance Hall, where Madam Pomfrey was already waiting for them. They stepped out into the grounds, and the freezing night air enveloped them. Teeth chattering, they walked down to the Whomping Willow, and Sirius grabbed a stick to poke the trunk. They walked until they reached the Shrieking Shack and said goodbye to Remus. This time, Madam Pomfrey did not shut the door of the Shack, as they were so early.

They walked back up to the castle, and Madam Pomfrey left them. When she had gone, James pulled out the Cloak, wrapped it around himself, Sirius and Peter, and they turned, and stepped back out into the grounds.

It seemed even colder outside now than it had done an hour ago. The dark tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest were swaying simultaneously. They could hear Remus' faint howls in the background, intermingling with the swishing of the trees ahead of them. The three friends stole across the grounds, occasionally stopping whenever they heard a noise. James could tell that even Sirius, who was usually fearless, was apprehensive about actually entering the forest.

As they passed Hagrid's house, they heard a low growling. It was Fang. Desperately trying to keep Fang from waking Hagrid, Peter sat down and began to stroke him. James made up his mind.

'Peter,' he whispered. 'You stay here with Fang, and make sure Hagrid doesn't wake up. Keep the Cloak.' Peter nodded, and, taking the Cloak from James, he sat down next to Fang.

'C'mon, Sirius,' said James, and both boys, wands bared, approached the edge of the Forest.

It was deadly quiet inside the Forest. They could no longer hear Remus' howls. They could only here the soft rustling of the wind passing over the tops of the trees. Sirius pulled out the piece of parchment on which he had copied a page from _Complex Potions_.

'Right,' he whispered, shivering slightly. 'We might as well have a look for a Silver yew leaf; get the hardest thing out the way. This is what it looks like, see, it's tiny – the plant sprouts near the roots of a common yew. C'mon. Lumos!' The tip of Sirius' wand lit up. James followed suit. 

They kept on walking for about a quarter of an hour without any luck.

'You alright, Jamesy?' Sirius asked, as they entered a clearing.

'Yeah. Which way should we go?' Two paths led off from the clearing, one forking of to the left, one to the right.

'Er, dunno. Let's see – hold on – can you hear that?' James lifted his head. There was a very faint clicking sound, coming from the left hand path. It sounded like somebody using a camera in the distance.

'Yeah. Shall we go this way, then?'

'Okay.' Gripping their wands more tightly, they made their way down the left path. James suddenly realised that his hands were cold and sweaty. They carried on. The clicking sound was becoming louder.

'What _is_ that?' whispered Sirius.

'Don't have a clue,' said James, shivering slightly. 'Let's keep going.' All along the path, they pointed their wands left and right for some sign of a yew tree. After a further ten minutes, the path started to descend slightly.

'We must have come quite a long way,' said Sirius. 'Hey, look at that. What is it?' It was a large tree, in a smaller clearing up ahead. 

'Hold on,' said James. 'I need to tie my shoelace. Wait.' But Sirius had already walked on ahead, and was approaching the small clearing. He walked over to the small tree.

'James,' he called triumphantly. 'It is a yew tree, so – bloody hell!! JAMES! HELP!!' James' blood froze. A loud clicking sound was coming from up ahead, and Sirius was screaming. He turned the corner, and a terrible sight met his eyes.

A spider. A seven-foot tall spider. The same spider that Frank had dispelled when he had faced the Boggart. But this was the real thing. It had Sirius in between its giant, black pincers, and was trying to lead him away.

'Oh no you don't!' James shouted at the spider. 'Stupefy!' The stunning spell hit the spider, but without effect. The spider turned, and saw James.

'Expelliarmus!' James shouted, louder this time. The spider stumbled, but still kept Sirius between its pincers. James hesitated.

'Oh, c'mon, anything, a spell, er, Stupefy! Expelliarmus! Accio!' All the spells that James uttered seemed to be making the spider madder and madder. Sirius was still hanging limply between its pincers. He had been knocked out. James was now sick with worry and fear.

'Expelliarmus! Expelliarmus! Drop him, can't you!' he shouted at the spider. It had no effect. The spider turned, and began to leave the clearing. It was still clicking loudly. It was just about to leave the clearing, when suddenly …

'AVADA KEDAVRA!' said a loud, booming voice. There was a blinding flash of green light. James covered his eyes. He fell to the floor, and slowly looked up. The spider had keeled over to one side. It was dead. Sirius was still lying on the floor, unconscious, but alive. James pulled out his wand again.

'Who's there?' he said, for someone very close to him had just saved Sirius' life. He was sure he could hear harsh, ragged breathing, from just in front of him, but it soon subsided. James shook himself mentally, and ran to help Sirius. He checked his watch – hopefully he had enough time. James had no idea how to conjure a stretcher, so he lifted Sirius onto his shoulders and turned, to walk back up to the castle.

James was very apprehensive on his journey back through the forest. There was a wizard in here somewhere, he thought, who could perform Avada Kedavra. The whole scene was still flashing before his eyes. Sirius, being picked up by the spider – James, attempting to curse the spider – and then the voice, the voice from nowhere, and the spider, on the ground – dead. James gave himself another mental shake. It was taking him longer to find the entrance to the Forest, because he was carrying Sirius. Fortunately, after about an hour, he spotted the tallest tower of Hogwarts protruding over the tops of the trees. His spirits lifted slightly, and he kept on going, through the dense forest. More and more of the castle was becoming visible, until finally James heard a distinct howl from up ahead. Remus. He couldn't be far now. Hopefully, Peter would still be waiting at Hagrid's.

James stumbled out of the Forest, almost tripping over a tree root and sending Sirius headfirst into the lake. Luckily, he kept his balance. He could see Peter's outline in front of Hagrid's hut and what could only be Fang at his feet. Panting from the effort of carrying Sirius, James hurried over to Hagrid's hut. Peter was fast asleep. James shook him awake roughly.

'Pete,' he whispered, making sure not to wake Hagrid. However, when a number of loud snores from inside the hut punctuated this remark, James raised his voice slightly.

'Peter, get up!' he whispered again. Peter opened his eyes, disorientated in the dark.

'James?' he said. 'Is that you?'

'Yes, look; we need to get Sirius to the Hospital Wing. He's out cold. Help me carry him.'

'What happened?' 

'I'll explain on the way. Have you still got the Cloak?'

'Yeah, it's just here, wait – it's gone,' said Peter, looking down at where he had been sitting.

'Gone?' repeated James breathlessly. 'You idiot! Oh, look, it doesn't matter now. Let's just get Sirius up to the castle.' Peter nodded. 'We'll have to be careful, if we don't have the Cloak.'

The two boys lifted Sirius up between them and walked slowly back to the castle. The first rays of light of the day were slowly creeping up behind them. James checked his watch.

'Hmm, Remus will be human again soon. C'mon, we need to get to the castle before then.' On the way up to the Entrance Hall, James explained to Peter what had happened in the Forest.

'And a voice came out of nowhere?' said Peter, astounded, when James had finished.

'Yep. That person probably took the Cloak.'

'Oh, James, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep.'

'That's not important. Sirius is. Come on.' They had reached the castle. Luckily, they met no one on their way up to the Hospital Wing. When they reached it, they found Madam Pomfrey getting ready to go and get Remus.

'Morning, Potter, Pettigrew, are you co – dear me, what's happened to him?' She was pointing at Sirius.

'Unconscious,' said James, placing Sirius on an empty bed. 'He, er, fell over and hit his head.'

'Yes, I can see,' said Madam Pomfrey, feeling Sirius' forehead. 'Well, I'll look at him when I return. I must go and fetch Lupin from the Shrieking Shack. Are you coming?'

'Yeah, we might as well,' said James. 'I'm not very tired.'

As they walked down to the Whomping Willow with Madam Pomfrey, James was wondering if the person that killed the spider would send him back his Cloak, or whether he'd never get it back – what would his dad say? They reached the Willow, and Peter pressed the knot on the trunk. They walked down the now-familiar path to the Shrieking Shack, and as the door was open, they could see Remus, sitting waiting for them.

'Morning,' he said croakily. His eyes were yellow again.

'Do you want me to conjure you a stretcher, dear?' asked Madam Pomfrey.

'Yes, please,' said Remus, clutching his leg. As Madam Pomfrey conjured him a stretcher, Remus gave James a questioning look. He obviously wanted to know how their trip to the Forest had been. James mouthed 'later'.

'Mobilicorpus. Here you are, dear,' said Madam Pomfrey. Mobilicorpus … James made sure to remember that, in case the need should arise again.

They walked slowly back up to the castle. When they reached the Hospital Wing, they found Sirius still unconscious. Remus raised his eyebrows at James when he saw Sirius, but James looked pointedly at Madam Pomfrey. Remus lay down on the bed next to Sirius, and Madam Pomfrey brought them all a hot drink before going back into her office.

'What happened?' asked Remus, when Madam Pomfrey had shut the door of her office. James looked at Peter.

'You explain,' he said, taking another mouthful of his drink.

'And you've no idea who it could have been?' Remus asked, at the end of the explanation. 

'Not a clue,' James replied. 'They would have been covered in the Cloak.' As soon as he had said this, Madam Pomfrey came out of her office holding a goblet of potion. She smiled at them, and gave the potion to Sirius. She walked back to her office. Sirius slowly regained consciousness.

'Wha – where – where am I?' he said dazedly. 'James? James?'

'S'alright, Sirius. The spider's dead.'

'Dead?' repeated Sirius. 'Hey, where am I?'

'Hospital Wing. You were unconscious.' Sirius shook his head slightly, and seemed to focus properly.

'But why? What happened?' James and Remus proceeded to tell him. Sirius was stunned.

'Who'd do that, though, and not tell us who they are?' he asked.

'Your guess is as good as ours,' said Remus.

'Oh yeah, by the way, how was your transformation?'

'Not too bad. Did you actually manage to get anything?' 

'No,' replied James. 'We found a yew tree, but then the spider came –' Sirius shuddered. 

'I'm going back to the tower, I'm still tired,' said Peter suddenly. 'D'you all want to stay here?' Remus and Sirius nodded, but James didn't.

'I'll come with you, Pete,' he said. 'I'm shattered. What have you been eating?' he added to Sirius.

'Iron bars. Full of carbohydrates,' said Sirius, smiling slightly.

'Right,' said James. 'Anyway, see you later. C'mon Pete.'

They walked in silence back up to the common room. There were only a few early risers around, and James decided he might as well sleep for the whole morning, as it was Sunday. He and Peter walked up to the dormitory, and, feeling too tired to do anything, he collapsed onto his bed. It was then that he suddenly realised that he was sitting on something. He rolled over, and pulled out … his Invisibility Cloak! It had been placed there, and there was a note attached.

_James, _

Thought you might like this back. Useful item. Oh, and next time you're in the Forest, try and avoid the spiders. Enclosed is something you might find useful.

The note wasn't signed. Fingers shaking slightly, James tipped the envelope upside down. Out fell a small bright leaf. It was a Silver yew.

Does this count as a cliffhanger? No, not really. Tell me in your review who you think sent the note. I'm interested to know what your opinions are, although we haven't strictly met this person yet. Heh heh. 

# Ciao


	8. The Werewolf (8)

Bloody chaptering system. All my reviews, deleted. Oh well, not a lot I can do but sit and swear frequently. Not on here, though. Heh heh. I was reading through your reviews.(*Annoying sing-song voice*) Nobody knows who the mysterious person is. Twilight, it wasn't a bad guess, but no, it isn't Dumbledore. Kibee, you should tell me who you think it is. Naomi, I don't think it was Voldemort, somehow. Gumdrop, you didn't guess, but thanks a lot for reviewing all of Werewolf anyway, it is some consolation. Hear that, people? Read the stories of these wonderful people. Oh, and I hate to be cruel to you guys (Well, actually, I love it. I'm evil, as you quite rightly say, Chinook), but you probably won't find out the identity of the mysterious person for a few years … Well, I suppose it gives you time to think *Cackles copiously*. Oh yeah, and some other things. Ben Coates, the Quidditch captain, is actually named after a good friend of mine. As I'm English, I didn't know there was an American football player with the same name. Call it coincidence. Jason Mak, too, is a good friend of mine, even if he won't review my stories (Get the message, Jas?). He's given me a great idea for year three, and he's the only person who knows who the mysterious sender is. Heh heh heh. Anyways, if you're still awake, here's Part eight … 

James gasped. A Silver yew. And yet his brain was pounding with the inevitable question. Who had sent it? This was the most difficult ingredient of the Animagi potion to procure, and yet they had obtained it without any effort. Well, Sirius had to have been knocked unconscious by a seven-foot spider … even so, James thought, this was brilliant. He decided to show the others.

'Pete?' he said, pulling back his curtains. Peter was lying on his bed reading a book, without his curtains drawn.

'Hmm?'

'Look at this,' he showed Peter the leaf. Peter leaned over, saw the leaf, and gasped.

'A Silver yew!' he said, amazed. 'Where? How? How did you get it?'

'With this note,' he passed it to Peter. 'The Cloak was with it as well.'

'Wow! That's brilliant, this is the hardest ingredient to get but – but who sent it?'

'If it takes a man and a half a week and half to dig a hole and a half, how long does it take to walk a fortnight?'

'You could just say, "I don't know",' Peter replied. 

'Force of habit.'

'So, someone saves Sirius' life, and finds us the most difficult ingredient for our potion. Wait, I hope whoever it is doesn't know we're becoming Animagi.'

'You and me both,' James replied. 'Anyway, c'mon. Let's go and tell Sirius and Remus.'

'Oh yeah, Pete, by the way,' said James, as they were walking to the Hospital Wing. 'What animal d'you wanna be as an Animagi?'

'A rat.'

'A rat?' said James in disbelief.

'Yeah. Don't ask me why, I've just got a thing for them. I used to have a pet rat before I came to Hogwarts.'

'What happened to it?'

'Let's just say that in those days it was easier for me to confuse rat poison with rat food.'

'I'm sure I'd rather not know. So you're absolutely sure you wanna be a rat?'

'Yeah, ever since you mentioned the plan. I don't know why, but I really like all small animals, you know, rodents. Rats are stronger than mice, though, I don't want to be eaten.'

'Talk to Sirius about that, not me.'

'Why? What's he becoming?'

'Don't have a clue, but he's bound to be hungry.'

'What about you? What do you want to be?

'Er,' James thought about this. 'Er – something big. A large animal. I mean; we'll need to be able to keep Remus in check. Sirius could be a big dog, I thought of that.'

'There's no need to mix his appearance with what he should become,' said Peter sternly. James laughed. 'Remus says he wants to be a werewolf, you know,' he continued, in the same tone. 'Strange boy.' 

'He's not the only one,' said James, laughing, as they entered the Hospital Wing.

'Missing us already?' Remus asked, as they approached.

'Ha ha,' said Peter sarcastically. 'James has received a little pressie.' James pulled out his Cloak and the note. Sirius took the note.

'"Thought you might like this back",' he read. '"Try and avoid the spiders". What? Who sent this?'

'If it takes – oh, sod it. We don't know.'

'But then …' Sirius lapsed into silence. Remus had taken the note.

'But – hold on – what does this mean, "Enclosed is something you might find useful"?' 

'Oh, how could I forget?' James pulled out the Silver yew leaf and placed it on one of the beds. Sirius and Remus gasped.

'A Silver yew,' whispered Sirius, amazed, taking it in his hands. 'Excellent.' 

'How did this person know we needed it?' Remus asked.

'Must have been following us in the Forest,' said James nonchalantly. They were all silent.

'Where's Madam Pomfrey?' asked Peter, breaking the silence.

'Dunno,' said Remus. 'She said she had to go off somewhere.'

'C'mon,' said James. 'D'you wanna go and get something to eat?' 

While they made their way down to the Great Hall for lunch, all four were still utterly perplexed about who could have sent them the Cloak, the letter and the leaf. As they entered the Entrance Hall, James checked his watch, and realised that they were very late.

'C'mon,' he said, jogging slightly. 'We won't get any food.' This had the effect of speeding Sirius up a great deal. He pushed open the doors to the Hall, grinning, but it was replaced immediately by a mixed expression of astonishment and horror. Bemused, James entered the Hall, and gasped, loudly. 

'Oh my God,' whispered Remus from behind him. 'How did this happened?' James shook his head, and Sirius merely stared. Peter looked up.

'Where the hell are the teachers?' he said.

The High Table was empty. All of the students at the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin tables were sitting in their places, their heads hanging limply on their shoulders. There was complete and utter silence. They had all been Stunned. James looked to the Gryffindor table.

'My god, they weren't expecting it. Look at this.' He pulled Lily's usually beautiful long red hair out of her soup bowl. It was sopping wet with tomato soup. James expected Sirius to laugh, but he was still looking completely shocked.James muttered something quietly and instantly something odd began happening to Lily's hair. It stood on end, making her look as though she'd just had seventy thousand volts passed through her body. Very slowly, the stains of soup separated themselves from Lily's hair and fell to the ground.

'How'd you do that?' Remus asked.

'Separating Charm,' said James indifferently. 'Look, c'mon, we need to revive them. Yes, Sirius, even them.' He followed Sirius' disgusted look to the Slytherin table, where they spotted Snape, his face resting on his empty plate. 

'You're right,' said Remus. 'Shall we help our fellow housemates first?' He looked at James. James nodded mutely.

It was hard work. The reviving spell wasn't easy to perform at the best of times. James had enough sense, however, to revive the seventh-years first, as their advanced education would help in reviving everyone else. Peter was having especial trouble, as he couldn't quite perform the charm correctly.

'It's "En – verate", Pete,' said Remus, as Peter tried, and failed, for the fifth time. You need to say the "En" for slightly longer.'

'Enverate!' said Peter, pointing his wand at a sixth year. The sixth year blinked, and slowly opened his eyes.

'Nice one, Pete,' said James, smiling, as he hurried to explain the situation to the newly awakened student. 

He was just about to turn around and help Ben Coates when Dumbledore suddenly entered the room, with Professors McGonagall, Lennox, Flitwick and Loughran right behind him. Dumbledore surveyed the scene, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles. His face, however, was etched with anger.

'Enveratus Totalus!' he called loudly, with a flick of his wand. Suddenly, every unconscious person in the room dazedly woke, many of them looking completely bewildered. Dumbledore made his way up to the High Table and put his hand up for silence. The low mutterings that had broken out ceased immediately.

'I need to know,' said Dumbledore firmly. 'If there was anyone who was not rendered unconscious.' James and Sirius raised their hands immediately. Remus put his up, and was followed immediately by Peter. 

'Very well,' said Dumbledore. 'I ask all students to remain to their respective common rooms. You four will need to come with me,' he added, fixing his eyes intently on James, Sirius, Peter and Remus, all of whom nodded.

As soon as Dumbledore stepped down, the murmuring started again, and it had soon evolved into loud conversing. However, the heads of houses began sorting their houses into lines and leading them from the Great Hall. James and Sirius sat down at the Gryffindor table. Through the mêlée of students leaving the Hall, James spotted Lily and Frank, grinning at him. Lily was holding her hair; she was clearly blissfully unaware of the state it had been subjected to half an hour ago. James chuckled at the prospect of seeing her face if he hadn't cleaned it up for her. 

Soon, the Hall was empty except for Dumbledore, McGonagall, James, Sirius, Peter and Remus. 

'Follow me,' said Dumbledore gravely, leading them off towards the Entrance Hall. Minerva,' he said, turning to Professor McGonagall, his blue eyes flashing brightly. 'I need you to go down to the kitchens, and ask –'

'No need, Dumbledore,' said a voice from behind them. They all turned. It was Professor Turner. 'I've already been down. House Elves say that the food was sent up as usual.'

'Very well,' Dumbledore repeated, sighing. 'This way, you four.' Leaving Professors McGonagall and Turner to their own devices, Dumbledore led them down an unfamiliar corridor, which was evidently a short cut to his office. After walking for a short time, they came to the familiar stone gargoyle backed against the wall. Dumbledore muttered the password, and the five of them slowly climbed the moving staircase up to his office.

The only difference in Dumbledore's office, James noticed when he entered, was that Dumbledore's Phoenix, normally handsome, with a beautiful plumage, was now looking feeble and decrepit. 

'When's burning day?' James asked. He hadn't really meant to say it out aloud, he had only wondered to himself. Dumbledore, however, smiled at him.

'Tomorrow, James,' he said, seating himself at his desk. 'Now, to business. Do any of you have any idea what this is all about?' The four boys exchanged puzzled glances.

'No,' said Sirius finally.

'I surmised as much. We have no idea as to how this happened. Some of the staff and myself were in a meeting until a few minutes before I joined you. Now, Madam Pomfrey told me that you were visiting Remus in the Hospital Wing. This is why you were late for lunch, presumably?' They nodded. 'Now, I won't lie to you. This is most likely a clear-cut warning from Lord Voldemort. You needn't look so shocked. He is nowhere in the castle and probably never will be.' He looked around at their bemused expressions and sighed. 'Dark magic is a fairly recent idea. Grindelwald was the first significant dark wizard; the first wizard who was willing to kill and torture innocent people for power. It was he who discovered and used the Imperius and Cruciatus curses first. You may or may not know, but these curses are two of the three that make up the Unforgivable curses. Now, I can see by your faces that you don't understand why I am telling you this. Voldemort is becoming stronger and stronger, no matter what the papers or anybody else says.'

'Now, when Grindelwald began to rise back in the forties, Armando Dippet, who was the headmaster of Hogwarts back then, myself, and the Minister for Magic, Atticus Davies, all agreed that Hogwarts needed protection from external evil forces. The school was already sufficiently hidden from Muggles – that was the focal point of its original design – but for a dark wizard, entering the school would be mere child's play.'

'First and foremost, we put fields around the school. These are magical fields, which prevent Apparation and Disapparation from inside the school grounds. This meant that any evil couldn't easily enter or easily escape from the school. Next, we installed a number of "Dark Detection Devices" as we dubbed them. The most prominent of those was the magic sensor that was actually built into Hogwarts' walls. It was a remarkably complex charm, and its function was, and still is, to detect dark magic. If any curse more severe than the Stunning curse is used, for example, an alarm goes off in my office and also into this.' He held up a small sensor, which looked like a miniscule radio. 

'Unfortunately, this charm only has an effect within the school. Even an Unforgivable curse can be used in the grounds. You still look unconvinced. However, there are many other precautions. For a start, very few wizards actually know the location of Hogwarts. As amazing as it may seem to you, the castle is very stealthily hidden. I can assure you that no dark wizard will cross the threshold of this school while you are here.'

'But what if they were disguised?' Remus asked. Dumbledore's beard quivered.

'I cannot really give you a definite answer. An impostor, if he or she didn't leave any traces of dark magic, may be able to infiltrate the castle. Then again, it would require acting skills of the highest order. I have never known it to happen.' Dumbledore stood up for a minute, and crossed the room, scratching his head. He glanced out of the window, looking down over the grounds. James looked out and spotted the tentacles of one of the inhabitants of the lake – the Giant Squid. Dumbledore sighed, and then sat back down.

'This is why,' he began, 'this Stunning incident worries us. I think it would be presumptuous to think that Voldemort is even near the castle. However, I cannot even begin to imagine how he could have stunned the whole student body of the school.'

'Was it definitely him, sir?' Sirius asked. Dumbledore considered this for a moment.

'I find it very unlikely that he directly caused the problem,' Dumbldore sighed. 'I imagine that whoever did this was a follower of Voldemort. Dark wizards support only he. Whoever cast the spell, and whenever they cast it is irrelevant. It all goes back to him.'

'Sir, if you don't mind me asking,' said Peter. 'How was everyone Stunned?'

'The most probable explanation would be the contamination of the food. As you may have noticed, the soup was the only thing sent up today – normally there is greater variety.'

'Is that why Professor Turner checked down there?' 

'Yes. For a Dark wizard, enchanting soup is no complex feat. Whoever did this, it was meant as a warning. Lord Voldemort wishes me to know that even if he is in Albania, where his headquarters are rumoured to be, he can still infiltrate the school, even if he can only go as far as Stunning.'

'But then – why didn't this … follower … poison the soup – to kill everyone?'

'As I explained earlier. If someone charms soup to be fatally poisonous in this school, I will know about it.' He held up his sensor again. 'Besides, it would be a remarkably difficult spell. For example, Avada Kedavra, the curse, requires not just powerful magic, but also force of mind.'

'Sir?' said Remus.

'Yes?' said Dumbledore amiably.

'Er, no offence to any teachers, but were any of them not attending the meeting?'

'Oh yes, a good deal were in their offices. In the meeting were myself, the heads of houses, Madam Pomfrey and Madam Hooch. Professors Sinistra, Turner, Binns, Cooper, Kettleburn –' he counted off a number of others on his fingers. 'They were all in their offices. I trust all of my staff.' Remus looked satisfied.

'But then – why did nobody come to the Great Hall?' Sirius asked.

'I am afraid that I don not know the answer to that question. I will speak with the staff, and I will address the school this evening. I suggest that you all return to Gryffindor Tower. I must contact the Ministry.'

The four boys made their way back up to the Tower. Now that they had been assured of their safety, they were a lot more cheerful. The thing that James was thinking about was his first Quidditch practice that Friday.

'You'll be fine, you know you will,' said Sirius, as they climbed a flight of stairs. You'll give Mak a run for his money.'

'Have you ever actually seen Jason fly?' asked Remus shrewdly.

'Yes, I wonder who'll win the Quidditch Cup,' said Sirius, tactfully changing the subject. Remus and James laughed.

'Look at it this way, Jay,' said Peter. 'If I can perform the counter-curse for a Stunning Charm, anything's possible. You can win at Quidditch, Sirius can tell us all a joke that's actually funny, Frank can fall asleep in Defence Against the Dark Arts and Snape can take a shower – well, actually, let's not go over the top …' James, Sirius and Remus laughed all the way to the portrait hole, where they had to rudely awaken the Fat Lady.

On entering, they found the common room fuller than usual. Quite a few people came up to them.

'What happened to us?'

'Who cursed us?'

'What did Dumbledore want?'

'Will you help me with this Transfiguration?'

'All right, all right, calm down,' said Sirius, taking charge. 'You were all Stunned, by a Death Eater, Dumbledore just told us that we're not in any danger, and no, do your own homework. G'night!' And, grabbing James' arm, he dragged him through the crowd to the staircases leading to the dormitories. At Sirius' mention of Death Eaters, the expression on people from wizarding families faces' had gone from perplexed to terrified. Death Eaters were what Voldemort's supporters had started calling themselves; James knew this because of his father's job, though Sirius had hardly elaborated when addressing the crowd.

The four boys managed to claw themselves through and reach their dormitory. When they opened the door, they were surprised to find Lily in there, talking quietly to Frank.

'What's all this then,' said Sirius loudly, grinning from ear to ear. 'Surreptitious rendezvousing?'

'Damn you!' said Lily wryly. You interrupted our moment of passion.'

'Yes,' said Frank in the same tone. 'I was just about to propose, and you ruined the moment.' James laughed.

'Lily, m'dear,' said Remus, approaching her. 'Your hair looked nicer the way it was before.'

'What are you on about?' said Lily, chuckling at Remus' expression.

'What?' said Remus apparently horrified. 'You didn't know about your tomato-flavoured hair?' Lily surveyed him for a moment.

'Hmm. And I thought Sirius was the insane one.'

'When you were unconscious,' Remus elaborated. 'Your hair was in your soup. Messy.' 

'And I don't suppose I could condescend to ask why it isn't there now?' said Lily

'You've got three guesses,' said Peter, as everyone turned to look at James, who grinned. 'And the first two don't count.' 

'You get around a bit, don't you?' said Frank, grinning at James. 'Rescuing fair maidens from falling brooms, ugly Slytherins and – much more critically – messy hair!' James laughed.

'All part of my cunning plan to win Lily's heart,' said James seriously. 'Don't tell me you – didn't – know?' he added horrifically.

'Aw,' said Frank. 'Does that mean I don't get her heart?'

'I can give my heart to whoever I like, thank you very much,' said Lily, laughing.

'Anyone but Snape and I'll be happy for you.'

'Gasp! How did you know that he was my secret lover?' said Lily monotonously.

'Right,' said Remus. 'This conversation is now officially sickening. Possible cure: Exploding Snap.' He pulled a pack out of his pocket, and for most of the rest of the evening, loud explosions and a great deal of laughter could be heard from the second year Gryffindor dormitory. 

For the next week, Hogwarts was cruelly subjected to a severe thrashing from the weather. Black, billowing storm clouds adorned the sky, and the grounds were soaked with relentless rainfall. Post owls were finding it increasingly difficult to get their massages delivered in time, and Hagrid had taken it upon himself to care for them before they took flight again. The Quidditch season was fast approaching. James' first team practice was on Friday, and the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw match was scheduled for the third Saturday in November. Slytherin would play Hufflepuff the subsequent Saturday. As James had looked out of his window on Monday morning, he had spotted a number of yellow-clad figures flying around above the Quidditch pitch.

The week was uneventful. On Monday, Lily had entertained the boys by describing how her friends, who were all wondering why she had spent an entire evening in the boys' dorm, had subjected her to the third degree. There was still a feeling of uneasiness from the debacle of Sunday's lunch, but it did not take long to die down amongst the student body.

By Friday morning, the weather had slowly worsened. A loud clap of thunder woke James very early. He rolled over, and tried to get back to sleep, but the noise of the storm, combined with Peter's snores, was enough to prevent this. In the end, he poured himself a glass of water, pulled on his robes and a cloak for warmth, and made his solitary way down to the common room. His first thought on entering was that it was empty, but then a slight movement of something red in the corner caught his attention. It was Lily. She was lying on the chair next to the fire, shivering slightly.

'Here y'are,' said James, wrapping his cloak around her shoulders, and sitting in another chair. 

'Oh, Morning,' said Lily sleepily, slightly taken aback by his sudden entrance.

'Couldn't you sleep?' James asked.

'In this?'

'Yeah, well, at least you don't have Peter's snores to keep you awake as well.' Lily chuckled weakly.

'Ooh, you'll have fun playing Quidditch in this,' she said fervently, getting up and peering out at the window. Flashes of lightning were rippling across the sky.

'Yes, so I see. Maybe it'll have cleared up in – er, half an hour,' he said, checking his watch.

'Fat chance,' came a voice from the door up to the dorms. It was Remus. 'What's this? Another secret tryst?' 

'Hardly,' said James. 'We were discussing my chances of survival in this.'

'Slim to none.'

'Don't you have confidence in us?' came another voice. Ben Coates had entered the room, carrying his broomstick in one hand and his Quidditch robes in another. All right, James? Got your Quidditch robes?'

'Upstairs. Are you going down now?'

'I'll wake the others quickly, and then we'll go down. What broomstick have you got?'

'A Lightspeed 1.' James' father had lent it to him. 'I was hoping for a new one soon. A Silver Arrow, hopefully.'

'Yeah, although I heard that there's another new broom out as well. Can't remember what it's called. Anyway, back in a sec.' He climbed the stairs, evidently to go and rudely awaken his fellow Quidditch team members.

In half and hour James found himself changed into his robes in the Quidditch changing rooms. It was still remarkably cold, and the wind was howling outside.

'Right,' Ben began, when he had made sure everyone was listening. 'This is James Potter, everyone. Linda came to see me at the end of last year to say that she didn't want to play no more, so James is her replacement. James, this is Matthew Brown, our Goalkeeper, Nancy Beaufort, our Seeker –'

'David Vaughn our third Chaser, and Andrew Preston and Jane Spinnet, our Beaters,' James finished. 'I know, Ben.' The other members of the team grinned.

'Right,' said Ben. 'So, last year. Pretty diabolical. This year we're going to play with a whole different style, and we will win the Cup.' And he was off, launching into a long speech about tactics and positions. James paid attention, as this was his first practice, but the rest of the team were merely looking bored. Andrew was falling asleep, and Matthew and David were telling Nancy and Jane a joke. It didn't require expert deduction skills to see that Matthew and David were best friends. Ben finally finished talking, and whistled loudly to get everyone's attention.

'Right,' he said, for the third time. 'You can screw my tactics if you want, I really don't care. Just play to your utmost ability and I'll be satisfied. Now, c'mon, we've still got a while to practice. Get your brooms.' This was the part that James was waiting for. He hadn't actually ridden on a broom since the trials, and now he was looking forward to it tremendously. 

James mounted his Lightspeed 1, trying to keep out of the rain. He removed his glasses and squinted towards the pitch. He could already make out two indistinct figures – probably David and Matthew – chasing each other around the pitch. James suddenly remembered a spell that Lily had told him a few weeks ago.

'Impervius!' he muttered, pointing at his glasses. He tried them on and grinned. Lily had been right. These glasses would now repel water. He mounted his broom and shot up into the air to join David and Matthew. He let his robes whip out behind him. This, he thought, was what made being a wizard worthwhile. He sped to the far end of the stadium, looped the goalposts, and sped back towards the other end. Lily's charm worked brilliantly. He could see, even though his glasses were soaking. James didn't mind the fact that it was cold and wet. Being back on his broomstick made up for it. He sped back towards David and Matthew, who had now been joined by Andrew. They looked dumbstruck. James stopped near them in midair, grinning.

'Where d'you learn to fly like that?' David asked. He looked completely shocked.

'Something I picked up,' said James, laughing. 'Care for a race?'

'I never turn down a challenge,' said David, grinning himself. 'All right, first one here and back. Go!' He had started so suddenly that James was taken aback, but he soon regained his composure. He sped off towards the far end, catching David up. David looked surprised when he turned the goalposts to see James streaking ahead of him. He bent lower on his broomstick, but James was faster. The two figures were now a blur, speeding back towards their teammates. James was bent nearly flat against his broomstick as he passed between Matthew and Andrew, did a loop the loop, and pulled into an emergency stop in midair, hanging about ten feet above them. He descended slowly.

'Heh heh. Hard luck, Dave,' said Andrew, grinning broadly. 'Excellent flying, James, Ben will be pleased.'

'Ben is pleased,' came Ben's voice from behind them. 'Wow. You flew better then than you did in the tryouts.'

'Beginner's luck,' said James, laughing.

'Yeah, whatever you say, James,' said Jane Spinnet sardonically from behind him.

Considering the weather was so awful, the practice went smoothly. The others wasted no time in telling James that he was better than Linda Carter had been, and his presence seemed to inspire everyone to play to their highest ability. Ben had very few criticisms to make, the only ones he did make aimed at Matthew and David for constantly messing around. 

'Excellent practice, everyone,' said Ben, as they headed back to the changing rooms. 'We'll give Ravenclaw a run for their money this year. We can beat them.'

'Yeah right,' said Matthew quickly.

'I'll rephrase that,' said Ben, ignoring Matthew. 'We will beat them.' 

'We're only joking, Ben. ''Course we'll beat them,' said David. 'Won't we ladies and gents?' The team members answered this in the enthusiastic affirmative.

'That's the spirit,' said Ben. 'Right, team practices are gonna be three times a week from now on. Tuesday, Friday and Saturday mornings. We've got a few weeks to get ready for our game.'

As James was walking back up to the castle with Matthew and David, a voice ahead of them made Matthew and David jump.

'Finished already, Mr Potter?' It was Sirius, hiding somewhere under James' Invisibility Cloak.

'Who's that?' said David.

'Sirius,' said James in a long-suffering voice. He took a rough estimate at Sirius' position and pulled. The Cloak came away in his hands, revealing a grinning Sirius, holding three pieces of toast.

'Something to eat?' he said innocuously, handing James some toast.

'Thanks,' said James. 'What have we got first today, Sirius?'

'Herbology,' said Sirius disgustedly. 'I'm sure we can find a way of – well – not attending. Fake illness, for example.'

'Sounds good,' replied James.

'We had no idea you were such troublemakers,' said Matthew, laughing. 'What's your name again? And James, where did you get that Cloak?'

'Ooh, Sirius Black, at your service,' said Sirius, with a wry grin. 'Jamesy got his Cloak for Christmas. Fun training sessions?'

'Well, not too bad,' said David. 'James seems to be something of a natural.'

'Oh, yes, he is. But he's too modest to admit it. He rescues maidens and all sorts.' David and Matthew raised their eyebrows.

'I'm sure we'd like to know all about that,' said Matthew sincerely, and Sirius was off, explaining all about Lily and the Quidditch tryouts, as the four of them slowly walked up to the castle. 

'Have fun, did you?' Lily asked, as the four boys entered the Great Hall.

'Ah, this must be the illustrious damsel you described, Sirius,' said Matthew in a mock knightly tone, pretending to kiss Lily's hand. 'Alas, we must leave. Farewell.' And the two of them turned and left for Gryffindor Tower, laughing.

'Friends of yours?' said Lily sardonically, raising her eyebrows at Sirius and James.

'Something like that,' replied Sirius. 'Anyway, c'mon, you're coming with us.' He grabbed her hand and started leading her out of the Hall. Lily looked amused.

'And miss, he cursed me, and now I can barely walk. He's a bully, miss.' The three friends had made their way up to the Hospital Wing, and Sirius was explaining his supposed predicament to Madam Pomfrey in the best "I feel sorry for myself, you should too" voice, as he dubbed it. Lily and James were only just holding in their laughter, and Madam Pomfrey raised her eyebrows.

'Indeed,' she said. 'Wait here.' She strode off to her office. James and Lily burst out laughing.

'Ooh, we'll get you an Oscar yet, Siri,' said Lily, through tears of laughter.

'What do you mean? I've already got an Uncle Oscar.' Lily laughed again, and explained to Sirius what the Oscars were. 

'So what would he get?' said James. 'The Award for best fake-act-of-injury?' 

'Oh, naturally.' Suddenly, as soon as Lily had stopped speaking, an announcement came in over the loudspeaker.

'Warning! There is a fire in the Hospital Wing!'

Sirius got up, and ran to the door, where he met an immensely satisfied looking Madam Pomfrey.

'Oh good, your leg's better,' she said, smiling serenely. Sirius realised that he'd been tricked.

'Argh. And there isn't even a loudspeaker in here. Rats.' James and Lily laughed. Sirius looked highly affronted.

'Oh well,' he said. 'No Oscar for me.' He shrugged with a funny look on his face, sending Lily and James into further fits of laughter.

Because he was beginning to feel slightly nervous about the impending Quidditch match against Ravenclaw, time seemed to have started speeding up. Before James knew it, he was getting into bed on the Friday night before the game. The weeks had passed without incident, and Ben Coates had been working the team down to the last minute before the game. News that James Potter, the newest addition to the Gryffindor team, was supposedly being a better Chaser than both Ben Coates and Jason Mak had spread, mostly thanks to Sirius and Remus, and therefore James had started getting a lot more attention around the school. Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs wishing him good luck for the match. Ravenclaws looking at him as though he might be carrying the Bubonic plague, and Slytherins being, well, Slytherins. Snape seemed particularly vindictive about James' new popularity, and took every opportunity to make snide comments about him. James was fully aware, however, that Snape would never say these things to his face, because he would curse him without batting an eyelid.

And so, the atmosphere in the Great Hall on the morning of the match was one of tense excitement. James felt as though there was a very tight knot in his stomach. During breakfast, Sirius left the table to speak to Professor McGonagall. He returned looking remarkably pleased about something.

'I thought so,' he said quietly, grinning widely as he sat down.

'What?'

'Oh, nothing,' he said, with the air of someone who has a secret that they have no desire to divulge.

'Yeah sure,' said Remus sarcastically. 'Nothing.'

'You will see, my metamorphic friend.' They decided for once not to pursue the subject, and to let Sirius surprise them.

The morning was cold and overcast. After the torrential rainfall of the previous week, the rain had eased off slightly, but it was still bitterly cold. James left Sirius, Remus and Peter to head for the changing rooms. All three of them wished him good luck, and his stomach tightened further.

In the changing rooms, nobody said very much. James pulled on his scarlet Quidditch robes over a t-shirt and jumper he was wearing for warmth. Ben Coates gave a few words of encouragement to his team before leading them out of the door and into the stadium.

It was something James had never experienced. Clutching his broom tightly, he stared at the gigantic stadium around him. He had never really taken in how large the stadium actually was as he gazed around the crowd. On his left were the Gryffindor supporters, decked out with flags and banners of scarlet with such slogans as 'Go Gryffindors!' and 'Gryffindor – Hogwarts Champion!' and other such mottos. Behind where James was entering the pitch were the Slytherins, decked out in green, their own house colours. They seemed to be booing both the houses taking part. James could see Professor Loughran at the front with a green wizard's hat on his head. The Hufflepuffs were at the far end of the pitch. There was a variation of colours in their stand. Some people were holding up yellow flags, the colour of Hufflepuff, and yet many were holding up flags of blue and scarlet to support either the Gryffindors or Ravenclaws. The Ravenclaws themselves were seated on the right hand side, a colossal mass of blue. Professor Flitwick, who had taken over as the head of Ravenclaw house after Professor Jackson had left, was sitting on a large pile of books so that he could see over the heads of the crowd below.

James could see the Ravenclaws entering the pitch on the far side, from the Hufflepuff end. Ben walked to the centre of the pitch and shook hands with Jake Smith, the Ravenclaw captain and Seeker. Madam Hooch, who was to be refereeing the game, was decked out in her black Quidditch robes, and had the crate of balls under her arm. When the captains had shaken hands, Madam Hooch released the balls, and blew shrilly on her whistle. They were off.

James kicked off quickly and the knot in his stomach disappeared immediately. He was suddenly confident. He spotted the Quaffle hanging as though waiting in midair, and sped towards it. He noticed Jason Mak do the same. He put on a spurt of speed, and managed to grab the Quaffle before Jason. He flew into the air, dodged a Bludger, and sped off towards the Ravenclaw goalposts. It was then that he heard something that almost made him drop the Quaffle. 

'And James Potter takes the Quaffle straightaway, he's flying like an eagle up there, even if he won't admit it …' Sirius. Sirius was commentating. Now James knew why he had looked so happy before. He continued flying, managing to hold onto the Quaffle. He spotted a Beater heading towards him, and played a nice one-two with Ben Coates, before …

'GRYFFINDOR SCORE!! James Potter with a new twenty-second record!' James could hear the Gryffindors below screaming, but he focused on the game. Jason Mak had the Quaffle; he needed to get behind him. Suddenly, a Bludger came pelting straight at James. He had to twirl over in mid-air to avoid it. 

Back in the stands, all of the second year Gryffindors except for James and Sirius were hanging on the edge of their seats, watching.

'He's brilliant,' said Remus breathlessly. 'I've never seen anyone fly that well.'

'Ooh, I can't watch,' said Lily, as James dove down to receive a pass from David Vaughn. 

'And Potter has the Quaffle again, Ravenclaw Keeper Coward – no seriously, that's his name – comes out to meet him – Potter squares it – GRYFFINDOR SCORE! Finished by Ben Coates.' Ben and James high-fived in mid-air. The Ravenclaws were looking stunned. Jake Smith was bellowing something at his Chasers. 

'Ah, Mr. Smith, language,' said Sirius, as the crowd below laughed. Jake glared at him, but all his teammates had to stifle their own chuckles. 

'He's a natural at this,' Remus was saying to Lily in the stands, referring to Sirius. 'No wonder he was looking happy this morning.'

'How does he manage to stay on?' said Lily, looking at James, who had just rolled over in mid-air to avoid a Bludger.

'He's a natural,' said Frank from behind her. 'And I just thought he was clever.'

'You learn something new every day,' said Peter pensively.

After another hour, Gryffindor had pulled ahead by eighty points, but there was no sign of the Golden Snitch. James had managed to score five times, and the longer he played, the more he was enjoying it. The Ravenclaws were starting to pick up the pace, however. Jason Mak had already scored thrice, and it was obvious that Jake Smith could beat Nancy to the Golden Snitch. The Gryffindors had to pull ahead by as many as possible. 

'C'mon lads!' Sirius roared, as James put the Quaffle through the Ravenclaw hoops again. Suddenly, James saw something that made his heart stop. The Snitch was fluttering down by the Gryffindor goalposts, and Jake Smith was much nearer to it than Nancy. Neither of them had spotted it. James flew over towards Nancy.

'Nancy, do a fake dive,' he called as he streaked past her, pointing to the Gryffindor goalposts. Nancy nodded, and, faking a look of concentration, sped back towards the Ravenclaw goals. It did the trick. Smith, thinking she'd seen the Snitch, soared after her. When James looked back, the Snitch had disappeared. He sped down to help Ben, who was just about to be dispossessed. Suddenly, however, Madam Hooch's whistle rang out. Somebody – a Ravenclaw – had been hit with a Bludger and had collided with Andrew Preston. Both players were lying on the ground, and Smith and Ben had both called time out. James glided slowly back to the ground, and the extent of the crowd's noise actually hit him. Madam Pomfrey was standing over the two injured players. Ben came over to James.

'Beautiful flying, James,' he said, his eyes gleaming. 'We're a hundred and twenty points up.'

'Right,' said James. 'Heh heh. Smith doesn't look too happy.' He looked over to where Jake Smith was berating his team. Ben laughed. 

'C'mon, I think we're back on,' he said, as Madam Pomfrey blew her whistle again.

Their players' revivals seemed to give the both teams new inspiration. The Chasers for both sides increased their efforts. Soon, Gryffindor had pulled ahead by a hundred and sixty points.

'Jason Mak with the Quaffle now. Nice one-two there, he's approaching the goals, c'mon Matt, save, save, oh shi –'

'Black!' Professor McGonagall was breathing down Sirius' neck, making sure he commentated fairly.

'Slip of the tongue, Professor. So, Gryffindor ahead now by two hundred points to fifty, and – wait a moment, was that the Snitch?' It was indeed. James' heart stopped again as he assessed the situation with some quick thinking. Jason Mak had the Quaffle, but he had stopped to watch the two Seekers. James had to score for Gryffindor to win by ten points, because Smith was gaining on the Snitch every second. He bent low on his broom and shot down towards Mak. Mak looked up in time to see James Potter streaking towards him. James grabbed the Quaffle and sped to wards the Ravenclaw goals. Smith was closing in on the Snitch, he could still make it – he forced his broom forward.

'Faster!' he muttered, approaching the goals. Some of the crowd seemed to notice what he was doing, and the noise increased substantially, but James couldn't hear. He was just concentrating on getting to the goals. Coward was coming out to meet him – Smith was inches from the Snitch. James threw the Quaffle and the next moment happened in slow motion. The Quaffle passed Coward's outstretched hand, and passed through the hoop. A split second later, Madam Pomfrey blew her whistle. Smith had the Snitch, but James had scored in time. The crowd were now screaming themselves hoarse, and slowly, it dawned on the players.

'GRYFFINDOR WIN!!' Sirius screamed. Everybody turned to look at the scoreboard. Jake Smith's mouth hung open. He turned, Snitch in hand, and saw that James was at the Ravenclaw end, and he had picked up the Quaffle again. Smith realised what had happened, and spat bitterly. All of the Gryffindors flew at James, and the team, tangled together in a many-armed hug, slowly floated down to the ground. 

'You did it! We did it,' Jane was screaming. 

'Well played,' said Ben, cuffing James on the back.

'That was quick thinking,' said Matt, grinning from ear to ear.

The Gryffindor supporters flooded onto the pitch, and James and the team were lifted onto people shoulders. Sirius was still happily shouting the result. Gryffindor had won by two hundred and ten points to two hundred. James' goal at the end had secured the victory. The Ravenclaws were looking completely shocked. Jake Smith was shouting at Jason Mak, who looked completely apathetic, about not keeping hold of the Quaffle. They hadn't lost to Gryffindor for years. James just grinned broadly as he was carried over to the changing rooms. He spotted Remus, Frank, Peter and Lily near the back of the crowd, beaming. He winked at them, as he was put onto the ground.

'Wow,' said a voice from behind him. It was Sirius. 'You've never flown like _that_ before.'

'Beginner's luck,' said James, grinning. 'So, why the new profession?'

'Oh, that. Yes, I convinced McGonagall to let me.'

As James walked back up to the castle surrounded by his friends, he couldn't have felt happier. He'd shown those Ravenclaws what he was made of. Everybody was congratulating him on his superb performance. James did have to admit to himself that he'd flown pretty well.

'C'mon lads,' said Matthew, sticking his head round the Entrance Hall door. 'Party in the common room.' Gryffindors didn't require much of a reason to throw a party, and since they were now on top for the House Cup, nobody thought twice.

The party went on long into the night. Nearly every person in Gryffindor house had congratulated James on his performance at least twice. 

'You think that was good?' said Sirius, who had taken it upon himself to promote James wherever he went. 'Wait 'till he gets a decent broom.' James just laughed. It had been his best day at Hogwarts since he had started, he didn't care what anybody said. He'd done something to be proud of. Even Jason Mak had congratulated him after the game, and he'd been on the losing side.

As he climbed into bed that night, James still had Peter, Sirius, Frank and Remus talking about the game around him. James was now looking forward to the next game after Christmas, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. As he settled down to sleep, with Sirius and Frank still discussing the match enthusiastically, he realised for the first time in his life that this was where he really belonged.

Um yeah. This part is kinda long, actually. Sorry about the speeding up of time, I just want to get a move on. I've got nearly 200Kb and I haven't reached Christmas yet. Oh well. Thanks to my loyal band of reviewers, who never fail, people like Twilight and Silence, Ana:), gumdrop, padfoot freak, Chinook, Kibee. All sorts of marvellous people. Oh yeah, and you people who read and DON'T review: You disgust me (That includes you, Jas).

Ciao


	9. The Werewolf (9)

Ah, the crusader returns …

James' contentment after beating Ravenclaw lasted for at least a week. People were still coming up to him in corridors and congratulating him. Even Ravenclaws were remarking on the quality of his flying. For the whole week, James felt as though someone had plastered a grin onto his face, because he couldn't get rid of it. Even the Slytherins couldn't think of anything obnoxious to say, partly because they were so amazed. Well, almost all of them...

'Oh look, if it isn't everybody's little hero,' said Snape sarcastically one morning, as James was making his way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Snape was with his little gang: Rosier, Avery, Lestrange and Wilkes. All of them chuckled at his words. James sighed and walked past them, but Snape grabbed his arm, pulling him back. Quick as a flash, James grabbed Snape and flipped him over his shoulder. He landed on the ground with a thud.

'Forgot to tell you,' said James amiably. 'I've attended wizard martial arts classes in the summer for seven years. Now come on, run along.' He pulled out his wand threateningly. The Slytherins glared at him, but moved away. 

'Impressive, Mr. Potter,' said a voice from behind him, the door to the Great Hall.

'Thank you, Miss Burns. Have you had breakfast?'

'Yep.'

'Aha,' said James, putting on his chivalrous voice. 'Then let me escort you to yonder Tower.' He put out his arm and Lily, laughing, took hold of it. 'Onward, and fear not the ugly rats that do inhabit this castle.' Lily laughed harder.

'Ooh, where did you learn that flip?' she said, feeling his arm.

'Heh heh,' said James, in his normal voice. 'My dad, 'cause he works for the Ministry, he wanted me to be able to fight physically as well as magically.' He held up his wand. 'He enrolled me in this martial arts class, although that's a fairly loose description. It's basically all the different kinds of physical combat.'

'Oh, so now you can protect us without a wand?'

'Not really. It's basically for protection against Muggles. I only got Snapey because he wasn't prepared. I can't do magic without a wand yet.'

'Yet?' said Lily sarcastically.

'Oh yeah. There are ways to learn magic without a wand, but they're incredibly difficult. There's only one charm I know, so I stick to using this thing.' He held up his wand.

'Very sensible.'

Christmas was coming. In the last week of November, Slytherin had managed to beat Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match, and had taken second place in the House Championship. The whole lot of them had been particularly smug about this, and on more than one occasion James had had to hold Sirius back whenever Snape provoked him. 

Professors Flitwick, McGonagall and Turner could be seen all around the castle putting assortments of decorations up. Soon, the corridors and classrooms were filled with boughs of holly, and the enchanted singing snowmen were back. In the four corners of the Great Hall, ice epitaphs of the four house creatures had been erected, and a large ice dragon stood behind the High Table.

As usual, Professor McGonagall came round a few weeks before the end of term with a list of students who would be staying at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays. After the fun he had had last year, James had opted to stay at the school again, and had sent an explanatory note to his parents. Their reply hadn't included James' presents, but acknowledgement that he would not be returning on the Hogwarts Express. Sirius, Peter and Frank were again visiting their parents over the festive season, and so none of them would be staying. Remus had also decided to visit his parents this year; he told James in private that it would make his transformation more bearable. Of the girls, only Lily, because she couldn't bear (or so she said) spending Christmas with her older sister, would be staying at Hogwarts.

The last few lessons of the term were fun. As most of the teachers had a sense of festivity, their last lessons were loosely based on that subject. Professor Flitwick showed them a simple glowing charm in his lesson, the same that he had used in decorating the Christmas trees. Professor Turner showed them all an Icing solution, which could be used to transform snow into ice. Professor Loughran entertained them immensely with his stories of past Christmases and how the rumour of Santa Claus had spread among Muggles and Professor McGonagall explained to all of the Muggle-borns how to transfigure their Muggle crackers into wizarding crackers. 

And so, when the holidays began, a deep silence fell on the school. James awoke on the second of the holidays to an opaline white sky, and Hogwarts was slowly covered in snowfall. The tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest in the distance had been covered with snow, which made some indistinguishable from their surroundings. The lake had frozen over, and one morning, James had noticed a pair of students ice-skating on it.

James and Lily were the only second year students in the school staying at Hogwarts. There were only a handful of other students from the various houses. They had the common room to themselves and a dormitory each. For the first few days of the holidays, they decided to get their holiday homework done, so they could enjoy Christmas and the rest of the holidays without it hanging over them.

'Come on then, Mr. Genius,' said Lily one morning, holding up a Transfiguration textbook. 'How many registered Animagi have there been this century?'

'Seven,' said James, grinning.

'Lucky guess,' said Lily. 'Right, what is the main – oh no, wait; you know that, don't you? Aha! Here we go. You get this and I'll snog Sirius. Which ingredient in the Animagi potion is associated with a turtle?'

'Really?' said James, grinning. 'Let us shake on that.' He shook Lily's hand. 'Then it wouldn't happen to be turtle stomach dew, would it?' The entire colour drained from Lily's face. 'Oh my, Sirius will be happy,' said James, shaking with suppressed laughter.

'How the hell did you know that?' said Lily. 'You're not meant to know that.'

'That I surmised from your little promise. Ooh, I can't wait for Sirius to get back.'

'But, hold on … I never said _when _I was going to snog him, did I?' said Lily, grinning. James thought about this.

'Damn, you're right. But I still get to tell him what he can look forward to.'

'Whatever you say,' said Lily, swiping at his head with the textbook.

'Ah, Sirius,' said James, laughing, pretending Sirius was there. 'The prettiest girl in our year said she would kiss you, but then changed her mind. Sound good?' chuckled James, avoiding another swipe and running up to the dorm to fetch the Invisibility Cloak. He didn't notice Lily's expression at his words. 

'Ooh, flattery'll get you nowhere,' she shouted, charging up the stairs after him.

'Over here,' said James tauntingly from under the Cloak, as Lily entered the dorm.

'Define "here".'

'Behind you,' said James, pulling off the Cloak.

'Very clever,' said Lily acidly. 'No invisibility allowed.'

'Allowed for what?' said James, chuckling.

'Fighting,' said Lily, aiming to hit James in the stomach. She found herself face down on the floor.

'No, I really shouldn't hurt girls,' said James courteously. 'It's not chivalrous. I'll just have to defend myself.' That he did, as Lily threw punch after punch at him. They were only play-fighting – neither was aiming to actually hurt the other – but James still had to put in some effort to stop Lily attacking him .

'All right,' Lily gasped, quarter of an hour later, 'I give up.'

'Goody,' said James lowering his arms.

'Just kidding,' said Lily, and aimed a punch at James' ribs. Unfortunately, he had chosen that moment to bend down and pick up his Cloak, and Lily caught him right in his eye.

'Ouch!' said James, clutching his left eye.

'Oh Jesus, sorry. I didn't mean to do that.'

'S' all right, I'll live,' said James. 'But,' he grinned, 'now I get revenge. Rictusempra!' Seeing Lily gasping for breath on the floor was some consolation to having a black eye, James thought.

'Now, let me think. Should I say the counter-curse before lunch or after lunch?' said James, smiling serenely.

'Bef – before,' said Lily, clutching her stomach.

'Oh very well,' said James, and he muttered the counter-curse.

'All right,' said Lily, as she stood up. 'Now I understand why no one tries to fight you. Is your eye alright?' James looked into the mirror.

'No lasting damage. You've got a mean right hook, though.' Lily grinned sheepishly. 'C'mon, shall we go and see Hagrid before lunch?' Lily agreed, and they left the common room together, laughing at the prospect of telling Sirius about Lily's promise. 

The snow had fallen excessively the previous night, and made Hagrid's hut look as though it was painted white. He had erected two small but decorative Christmas trees outside his front door. As they approached it, they heard Fang growling from inside. When they knocked and entered, however, Fang rushed over and started licking Lily's hand.

'Wow,' said James, looking at Fang. 'What have you been feeding him, Hagrid?' For Fang was nearly three times the size he had been when Hagrid had first procured him.

'Nothin' special. Have yeh been snowball fighting?' Hagrid asked, knitting a large piece of cloth as he spoke.

'No. Why?'

'Heard a bunch o' kids laughin' out there, thought it might be you. The others gone home?'

'Yes, it's just me and Lily.' Hagrid raised his eyebrows.

'Oh, don't be under any illusion, Hagrid,' said Lily, noticing the way in which he was looking at them both. 'James and I have been engaged for years.' Hagrid laughed.

'I'll enjoy the weddin',' said Hagrid, still chuckling. 'So, what're yeh up to today?'

'Not a lot,' said James, with a sidelong glance at Lily. 'There's only so many times in a day I can hear the words "James, will you help me with my Transfiguration?" without screaming.' Lily and Hagrid laughed. 'What are you doing, anyway?'

'Only jus' finished getting the Chris'mas trees up. This is a blanket I'm making.' He held up the cloth.

'Fair enough,' said Lily. 'Hey, Hagrid, who's this?' She was pointing to a picture of a short wizard with the same crinkled black eyes as Hagrid.

'Oh, er, that's me old da,' said Hagrid, taking the photo in his hands and looking closely at it. 'Died, he did, in me second year here.'

'You were at Hogwarts?' said Lily. 'But then, why can't you do magic?' Hagrid hesitated. This didn't seem to be his favourite subject.

'I was, er, expelled, see, in me third year. Dumbledore persuaded them ter let me train as gamekeeper, and I have been ever since. Great man, Dumbledore.'

'But why were you –' Lily began, but James silenced her with a look. 

'C'mon Lil',' he said pointedly. 'Shall we go back up to the castle?'

'But – oh, yeah, all right.' She got up and opened the door. 'We'll come and see you again, Hagrid. Bye!'

'Bye,' he said miserably, still gazing at the photo. James shut the door, and they walked up to the castle in silence.

'Why didn't you let me ask him?' Lily asked James early that afternoon in the common room, as the two of them sat playing chess.

'Isn't it obvious? You could see in his eyes how upset he looked. I think he's a bit touchy on the subject.'

'But –'

'Lily, drop it,' said James sharply.

'Alright,' said Lily reluctantly, but then she perked up. 'Hey, do you want to go down to the kitchens? Me hungry.' James raised his eyebrows.

'You go,' he said, extracting the Cloak from his pocket and passing it to her.

'Oh, but I don't know exactly where it is. Please, Jamesy?' she said in a whiny, typically Sirius voice. James raised his eyebrows again.

'All right,' he said, grinning. 'C'mon.' They left the common room and set off down the corridors. Lily was trying not to laugh at a joke that James had told her.

Half an hour later, the two returned to the common room, laden with mince pies and bottles of pumpkin juice. 

'What's with the mince pies?' said James, laughing. Lily had brought as many as she could carry.

'Let's just say I have an addiction problem,' she said, putting one into her mouth. James removed his glasses and wiped his eyes. He didn't spot Lily's hand, which reached out and grabbed them.

'Ha ha. Got your glasses!'

'Now really!' said James, in an uncanny impression of Professor McGonagall. 'This is most childish behaviour. Ms. Burns, return those spectacles immediately!' Lily fell about laughing, and James was able to summon his glasses back. 'Aha, I can see!' he said, grinning.

'Git,' she said. 'It's more fun being with Sirius.'

'Why?'

'He's easier to beat up and much easier to annoy.'

'Ah, I take it that you're implying that I'm not?' said James, grinning.

'Maybe,' said Lily evasively. James chuckled.

'Hey, what day is it today?' he asked suddenly.

'Saturday.'

'Hmm,' he said pensively. 'There's a Hogsmeade visit for everyone still here – about ten people.But that means that – if it's Saturday – the teachers can't be there.'

'So?'

'Hmm.' He suddenly jumped up and grabbed Lily's hand. 'Come, fair goddess of beauty,' he said, whilst Lily laughed. 'We must find a way out of here.' And he pulled her out of the portrait hole, cackling insanely.

'Look, there's nothing here!' said Lily heatedly for the fifth time. James was standing next to a statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch, examining it closely for something that apparently wasn't there. 'This is such a waste of time.'

'Matthew told me that it was around here!' said James.

'What?' said Lily acidly.

'A secret passage to Hogsmeade. Don't you know any Latin? Like the Latin for open, or something?'

'Well, actually, I have a master's degree,' said Lily sardonically. 'Try Alohomora.'

'Already did. It's not that. Wait a sec …'

'What?'

'Apertio!' James said, tapping the stone structure. Nothing happened.

'That was good,' said Lily wryly. 'What was it?'

'The Latin for open, if I remember correctly. Hold on, it could be … Dissendium!' Suddenly, a thin gap appeared in the statue's hump. James grinned wickedly. 'Excellent and marvellous. Ladies first?' he said, motioning for Lily to enter the hole.

'Not likely.'

'Only kidding,' he said, before hoisting himself into the hole and pushing himself forwards.

He slid for quite away along what seemed to be a stone slide. When he reached the bottom, he fell headfirst onto cold, damp earth. Rubbing his head, he looked up from where he had come down, and saw a small hole, about the size of a postage stamp, far above him.

'It's OK!' he called up to Lily, and a second later he heard her enter the passage. He noticed the witches' hump close up again, and the passage was plunged into darkness. As James heard Lily coming closer, he put out his hand to prevent her falling onto the ground, as he had done.

'All right?' he said, as he caught her. 

'Yeah,' she said. 'Ow, that looks nasty.Did you fall on your head?'

'Yep. I wanted to protect you from the same fate.'

'Ah, how kind you are. C'mon, I can barely see a thing. Lumos!' They set off together down the cold passage, Lily's wandlight leading them onwards.

After about an hour of traipsing along the long and winding path, Lily tripped suddenly.

'Are you all right?' James said urgently, pulling her to her feet, and holding her lighted wand up to her face. 'Oh my god.' She had a large gash on her forehead. Blood was pouring freely from it. 'Here, let me see what I can do about that,' he said. He touched the wound softly and quietly muttered something. His fingers began to glow strangely and the blood flow stopped immediately. He quickly transfigured the quill that he always had on him into a bandage, and gingerly wrapped it around her head. 'There,' he said. 'Does that feel better?'

'Yes, much better,' said Lily, feeling the bandage with a strange look in her eyes. 'How did you know how to do that?'

'It was all part of that course I went on. We did some minor first aid. Very minor, mind you. They only showed us basic stuff, like how to stop the flow of blood and how to transfigure items like plasters and bandages. That blood stopping is the only non-wand magic I know.' He smiled. 'You never know when it'll all come in handy.'

'Yeah,' said Lily softly. 'Thanks, James. Anyway, I think we'll need to go up here.' She was pointing to some stone steps. She had fallen over the bottom one, not noticing it was there. They rose up and out of sight. James nodded, and they slowly began to ascend in silence.

'Ow,' said James, when his head suddenly hit something hard above him. 'Seriously, Lil',' he said, clutching his head. 'I'm sorry we came along now. This trip seems to have been more trouble than it's worth.'

'Yes, but hold on,' she said, holding up her wand. 'We're here! Look, this is a trapdoor.'

'You're right,' said James, feeling the ceiling. 'Brilliant! Right then, we need to put this on.' He pulled the Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket and draped it around them both. 

'My, you think of everything,' said Lily, from under the Cloak. James grinned.

'Damn right. Anyway, c'mon. Let's go.' Very slowly, he pushed up the door, and found himself looking into a cellar stacked high with wooden crates and boxes. He could hear murmuring from somewhere above him. 'C'mon Lil', quick,' he said, pulling her through the trapdoor. When she was through, he replaced the door quietly. It blended so perfectly that it was indistinguishable from the dusty floor around it.

'James,' said Lily quietly. 'Where are we?'

'If I'm right, and I pray to God that I am, then we are currently in the cellar of Honeydukes.' He looked at her, expecting her to be excited about this, when he remembered. 'Of course,' he said. 'You're Muggle-born. You wouldn't know. Honeydukes is the best sweetshop in Britain. Of course, as Hogsmeade is the only entirely wizarding village in Britain, there isn't much competition. But wait, you'll see how good it is. C'mon.' He grabbed her hand and pulled her up a set of dusty stone steps. They passed through a door, and found themselves behind the counter of Honeydukes. There were a few students from Hogwarts standing in the shop, and James heard Lily gasp when they entered.

Honeydukes was filled with every type of sweet conceivable. Shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets and large barrels of favourites like Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs and Fizzing Whizbees. Trays of colourfully wrapped toffees, chocolates and fudge. Large slabs of coconut ice. Everything from Droobles Best Blowing Gum to Pepper Imps. Whilst Lily took in the surroundings, James steered her into a small corner and removed the Cloak carefully.

'What are you doing?' she asked. 'We'll be seen.'

'No we won't. The staff are on a training course today, I remember hearing McGonagall talk about it.'

'And what do you propose we do? Steal the sweets from under their noses?' James shook his head, grinning.

'Ah, Lily, you'll never trust me, will you? Don't you think I might have considered that beforehand?' He pulled a small bag of coins out of his pocket. 'C'mon, let's get some stuff.'

'But I don't have any money.' James extracted half of his money and handed it to her.

'Ah, then you'll have to get me a great birthday present then, won't you?' Lily laughed. 

They left Honeydukes some time later, their pockets bulging with various assortments of sweets. The snow was thick on the ground, and it was bitterly cold. James lent a shivering Lily his Cloak, and the two of them decided to head for the Hog's Head (a/n My theory is that the name changed after Philosopher's Stone) for something to drink.

'I don't suppose you've tried Butterbeer?' said James, as they entered.

'Is it alcoholic?' Lily asked apprehensively.

'Oh no,' said James, chuckling. 'It's nothing like Muggle beer. Try it, you might like it.' 

'Fair enough.' The two of them took a small table at the back of the pub. Lily laughed whilst James told her stories of misfortune he'd encountered on the combat course he'd attended.

'You know,' he said wistfully, 'I think I might go back this year. I wonder if Sirius would come along?' 

'Ooh, that would be worth watching.'

'What, Sirius and I beating each other up?' he asked, raising his eyebrows. 'Or Sirius and I in combat gear?'

'Both, naturally,' she said, chuckling.

After a short while, the barmaid, a pretty lady with red robes, approached the table.

'Hello dears. Is this you first time in here?' she said kindly. James looked at her.

'Yes, and it certainly won't be the last,' he said, grinning. The woman laughed and cocked her eyebrows at Lily.

'Let me guess,' she said, smiling, motioning to James. 'A born charmer?'

'Undoubtedly,' said Lily, laughing. 'But you haven't met Sirius. You don't even want to know,' she added quickly, when the lady looked at her curiously.

'You're third years, I presume?'

'Oh yes, yes, that's right,' said James, in a completely false voice. 'Yes, third years, of course.' The woman laughed again.

'Oh, I don't think Professor McGonagall would be happy to find you in here.'

'She won't,' said James, grinning.

'Dearie me, such a troublemaker. Can I get either of you a drink, er?'

'Lily,' said Lily. 'And this is James.'

'A pleasure to meet you,' she said, smiling. 'I'm Madam Rosmerta.'

'Ah, so we can call you Rose,' said James enthusiastically. 'Or – even better – Maddy, or – no, wait, I've got it – Mad Barlady Rose!' Madam Rosmerta and Lily dissolved into a fit of giggles. 'What I meant to say is,' he went on, in an innocent voice. 'Could we have two Butterbeers please Miss Bar-lady-person?' Madam Rosmerta nodded, and strolled back to the bar chuckling.

'Such a charmer,' said Lily sardonically.

'Ahhh! Is somebody jealous? Don't worry Lil', you know I only love you really.' He grinned. 'So, I suppose you want to do some Christmas shopping after our little drinkies?' 

'Ah! You can read my mind!' At that point, Madam Rosmerta approached their table with two foaming tankards of hot Butterbeer.

'Cheers,' said James, as they both took a large gulp. James had had Butterbeer before, and knew how delicious it was, but he could see by the expression on Lily's face that for her it was a pleasant surprise.

'Mmm,' she said, setting down her drink. 'That's lovely. I feel all warm and fuzzy.'

'Nah, that's just 'cause you're with me,' said James, grinning. Lily threw a coaster at him.

'Hah! You wish, Potter.'

'Oh, being formal now are we, Burns?' 

''Course not. We're just not being informal.'

'Oh, OK,' said James, laughing. 'C'mon, shall we be off? My drink is all cold and nonexistent.' Lily raised her eyebrows sardonically.

'Alright, if we must.' They stood up, thanked Madam Rosmerta, and left the Hog's Head. James wrapped his cloak around Lily.

'Bl – bloody hell. It's c – c – cold,' said James, as they walked along the main street of Hogsmeade.

'Right now, let's think,' Lily mused. 'Sirius … must be Zonko's, wouldn't you say?'

They spent an enjoyable afternoon choosing various gifts for their friends. James purchased a rather elaborate wizard chess set for Peter, whose current set was a bit battered. He found a book that he knew Remus would like entitled "Great Metamorphics of our time". He made sure not to allow Lily to see it. For Sirius he bought a small kit designed for mischief making from Zonko's. It contained a number of dungbombs, some odd-looking potions and, best of all, in James' attention, an enchanted individual-sensor. You could programme it to tell you when a certain person was nearby. He also bought a number of boxes of sweets for various people. 

And so, after a couple of hours of avid shopping, both Lily and James had one present to get – each other's. As they were walking back towards the Hog's Head, Lily suddenly stopped next to a shop window.

'Oh James, look at that!' She was pointing to a very elaborate-looking necklace. It was silver, and had diamonds cut into it all the way around. It sparkled mysteriously in the sunlight, and looked to James as though it had been charmed. 'Ooh, I'd give anything for that,' she said fervently. 'Anything.'

'Is that a very subtle and surreptitious hint?' asked James, grinning. 

'Don't be silly,' said Lily, still looking wistfully through the glass at the necklace. 'It's so beautiful.'

'Well, when I fall in love with you – not that I haven't already to a certain extent – it's the first thing I'll buy.' Lily laughed.

'Know something? If you do ever fall in love with someone it'll be obvious, because you'll never say it.'

'Yes, odd how people's minds work, isn't it? C'mon, I know exactly what to get you.'

'Is it by any chance a diamond necklace?'

'Hah! Nice try. You have to wait for that, missy.'

'Oh, so I'll definitely get it at some point?'

'Unless I'm dead.'

'That's a cheerful thought.' Laughing hysterically, the two friends decided to split up so that they could get each other a present.

When he had purchased Lily's gift, James waited in front of Honeydukes for her; he had only needed a few minutes to buy what he wanted. He spotted her coming about five minutes later, clutching a bag in her hands.

'Ready to go?' said Lily cheerfully.

'Almost,' he said, grinning. He dashed off in the direction of the Hog's Head, instructing Lily to stay where she was. He returned a few minutes later with two large bottles of Butterbeer.

'Heh heh. I got Madam Rosmerta to put a heating charm on these. We can have them on Christmas day.'

'Ah, what a perfect friend you are,' said Lily, clutching one of the bottles. 'Come on then, Invisibility Cloak back on, I think it's high time we left.'

The journey back to Hogwarts was enjoyable. James and Lily had had such a pleasant afternoon that the long walk didn't bother them. 

'Ooh, that was fab,' said Lily, as James climbed through the statue of the one-eyed witch. 'We'll have to bring Sirius along next time.'

'Why? Isn't my company sufficient?'

'No. I need at least another person to carry these damn bags.' James laughed.

'Ah, girls will be girls, I suppose. C'mon.' 

They strolled slowly up to the common room, James laughing uproariously at a story Lily was telling him about the strange looks she'd received from one of the young store clerks in Hogsmeade. She said that she'd made a point never to return to Gladrags Wizardwear, and James raised his eyebrows sardonically.

'Ha!' he said wryly. 'I don't think so. A girl staying out of a clothes shop? That's like Sirius staying out of a fight.'

'I just didn't like the way he was looking at me,' she said vehemently. 'It was – uncomfortable.'

'Was he wearing glasses?' James asked casually.

'Yes, he was. They were shaded, you know, like blind people have.'

'Oh, it's obvious in that case,' he continued slyly. 'He had glasses that can see through clothes.' Lily's expression went from perplexed to horrified, and James had to stifle a laugh. 'Heh heh. I'm only joking, Lil'. As far as I know, nothing like that exists. Although –' he grinned at her, ' – I was hoping someone might invent them …'

'Very funny, Potter,' said Lily dryly. 'I'll make personally sure that they don't.' 

They entered an empty common room and seated themselves in the armchairs next to the fireplace. James had a spare pack of Exploding Snap, and the two of them had an enjoyable time having their eyebrows singed in various degrees of burning. During the evening, the only time one of them left was to fetch food and drink from the kitchens. On one visit, The house elves had complained to James that they didn't have enough work to do. James had had to stifle a laugh, as the house elves had nothing but work to keep them occupied. They were preparing for Christmas dinner in a few days time; keeping the castle neat and tidy, not to mention clearing the snow that was blocking the path up to the school.

'I wonder where all the house elves come from,' said Lily pensively later that evening, as she and James sat drinking mugs of hot chocolate. They had moved onto wizard chess now, and Lily's knight was currently wrestling James' rook off the board.

'Well, I suppose you have a mummy elf and a daddy elf, and –'

'Ha ha,' said Lily sarcastically. 'I just wonder what country they originate from.'

'What, you mean like Vampires being from Transylvania?'

'Yeah.'

'Er, I don't actually know where they originally came from, but I know that they live worldwide nowadays, as personal servants to humans.'

'Such wonderful creatures,' Lily mused. 'I suppose the irony is that humans are paid for work they don't want to do and house elves aren't paid for work they do want to do.' James nodded.

'Yeah,' he yawned. 'Anyway, Lil', I think I'm gonna go off to bed in a sec, I'm a bit tired after the day's events.'

'You just wait until the January sales,' said Lily, grinning, as they both walked over to the stairs to the dorms and began to climb them.

'What're they?'

'Oh, it must just be a Muggle thing. They're sales that take place at the start of the year, and everything's dead cheap.'

'Sounds like a perfect bloody nightmare for the entire male population.'

'That is one of the added bonuses.' She grinned, as she approached the door of the girl's dorm. 'Night, James.'

'Night Lily,' he called, as she entered the room. James carried on up the stairs until he reached the top, entered his dorm, and was asleep within five minutes.

Christmas morning dawned bright and early for James. He awoke to the sound of birds singing, and whistled happily as he washed and changed into his robes. It was very early, and James doubted that Lily would be awake. He glanced at the large pile of packages at the foot of his bed and grinned. He transfigured a large bag, put his presents into it, and set off for the girls' dorm.

Lily was still fast asleep when James entered. Her red air was plastered to her face, and she was smiling. James grinned when he saw her. Thinking it would be altogether too cruel to use water or pillows to wake her up, he merely shook her softly.

'Lily,' he said quietly. 'Wake up. It's Christmas.' Lily mumbled something incoherently. 'You have a lot of presents,' he added, and that did the trick. Lily sat up straightaway.

'Morning,' she said pleasantly. She quickly slipped into the bathroom to change her clothes, and emerged looking much more awake. 'Now, where's me pressies?'

'Hmm. A brainteaser,' said James sarcastically. Lily had a large pile of presents at the foot of her bed in clear view. 

'Well, come on then,' said Lily, grabbing the nearest parcel and ripping it off. 'Let's get started.'

They had fun opening their presents. They both had a lot of presents from their friends. Frank had sent both of them a large box of Chocolate Frogs each; Katie, a huge bar of chocolate to share between themselves; Heather, a large box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and Michelle and Sarah, abundant amounts of homemade fudge. Sirius had sent James a handy attachment for his Lightspeed 1 – it was both a speed counter and danger sensor. Remus had sent both Lily and James books. Lily's was entitled _A study of useful Charms_, with which she looked enthralled, and James' was called _Animagi: Fact and Fiction_. Lily looked a little perplexed at Remus' choice of present, but James grinned. Peter seemed to have contacted Sirius in his shopping, because his present to James was also an accessory for James' broom. It was a very clever enchanted map and compass. To work it, you simply had to say a venue, and the item would show you the distance and direction of that place. Grinning still, James turned and saw that he had only a few presents left, as did Lily. He spotted Lily pick up his own present to her.

'Now, don't be amazed,' he said, as she picked the lumpy package up. 'But it's not a diamond necklace.'

'Incredible,' said Lily sardonically. 'Don't they make them this shape any more?' James laughed and she tore off the paper. She held up her present, and gasped. 'Oh James! It's lovely.' It was a very pretty cloak, made of thin light green silk. Lily looked at it for a moment. 'James, this is beautiful, but –' she bit her lip, '– won't I be a bit, er, cold?' She sounded slightly guilty for noticing a fault with the gift, but James laughed.

'Go to the window,' he said, pointing to it. Perplexed, Lily walked over and stood by the large windows. 'Now, open it.'

'Are you mad? It's freezing.'

'Just open it,' said James, grinning.

'All right,' said Lily reluctantly, and she pulled the catch on the window. An icy breeze entered the room. 'Brr – James, it's fr – freezing,' she said, shivering slightly.

'Put on the cloak.' Still looking bemused, Lily pulled the cloak over her shoulders, and immediately stopped shivering.

'Mmm- ooh, this is warm. Ooh, it's lovely.'

'That's the beauty of it. It's an enchanted cloak. It will keep you warm, no matter where you are.'

'Oh James, you're too kind,' said Lily sincerely. She shut the window, came over to the bed, and gave James a quick hug.

'Easy,' he said, as she had caught him off guard. 'Let's see your pressie before all the hugs and kisses.'

'Nice try,' said Lily wryly. 'I never mentioned kisses.'

'Sigh. You always jump to conclusions. Anyways, what do we have here?' He picked up a gift that said "To James from Lily".

'I found it in Hogsmeade. Peter and Sirius gave me the idea. It's similar to their gifts, too.' It was a small package, with gold wrapping paper. James ripped off the paper to reveal a handsome leather box. He pulled the catch, and a small device fell out. It looked similar to Peter's present, but James knew that it wasn't. It was metal, with a large silver button in the middle

'What is it?' he asked.

'You can clip it to your broom,' Lily explained, 'and if you press the button your broom becomes invisible.' James gasped.

'That's brilliant!' he said. 'Oh, thanks Lil'.' He reached over and put his arms around her waist, giving her a quick hug.

'So, just my parents' present to go. What about you?'

'I've got three more,' said James, looking in his bag. 'Here, this is from my parents.' James parents had sent James a new cloak for outdoor use, and a note with some mince pies and homemade toffee. James laughed as he saw Lily looking at the mince pies. 'Yes, Lily, you can have some,' he said, grinning. He was, however, slightly disappointed that he hadn't received a broomstick. He turned to read a note that his parents had sent.

_ _

_James (it read),_

_ _

Shame you aren't here for Christmas this year. Uncle John's back in town. He sends his regards, and I think he's probably sent something else as well. You'll find it in there somewhere. We'll probably be sitting down to lunch when you read this (You know how irregular your father and John's eating hours are). Still, if I remember correctly, you get pretty spoiled for food at Hogwarts. Have a Merry Christmas, love. Hope you have a nice new year as well. We'll see you when we see you.

_ _

_Mum and (if I can persuade him to stop drinking and come and sign this card. Ah! Here he comes) Dad (Don't listen to a word your mother says, son)._

James laughed as he read the card and placed it down. Lily had meanwhile opened her own present. It contained a game that neither of them had seen before. 

'What's that?' James asked, looking at a set of stones in a small box on Lily's lap.

'Read this if you want to know,' said Lily, passing him her parents' card.

_ _

_ _

_Lily, _

_ _

_Hope you're all right, dear. Your mother's busy, but she sends her love, as does Petunia. The present is something we found in the Daily Prophet – we've decided to start getting it delivered as well as our "Muggle mail", as I suppose you call it. The game's called Gobstones – I think it has instructions with it. Have a lovely Christmas and New Year, love, and we'll probably see you around Easter._

_ _

_Dad_

James chuckled, and turned back to his presents. He had two more to open. He took the first, a small, thin package, and opened it carefully. Out slipped a small leather pocket that looked like a holster. It was attached to a note, which James read.

_ _

_James, _

_ _

_How are you, mate? Back in the country this week, you know, see your dad for Christmas and all that. I think the Argentinian authorities were glad to see the back of me, to be honest. Anyway, I've made it back in time. Your present I picked up a while ago whilst travelling. It's a wand holster, the same kind I use. Now, I can just see you laughing at this point, but those things are useful. There's a button on them that makes them invisible and undetectable. You can sneak your wand into anywhere you like. If you don't like it, well, sorry, but I'm thinking it should come in useful._

_ _

_Merry Christmas (And New Year and Easter and whatever until whenever I see you)_

_ _

_John_

_ _

James laughed as he reread his uncle's note.

'Is he your dad's brother?' Lily asked, reading the note over James' shoulder.

'Foster brother,' said James. 'Nan and Granddad adopted him when my dad was about four.' Lily nodded.

'What does he do?' she asked.

'He's an Auror for the Ministry of Magic. Er, do you know what Aurors are?' he added.

'Yes, dark wizard catchers. You or Remus or Frank or someone explained it to me a while ago. So, what's that?' She pointed to a James' final present, a long, thin package lying on the ground.

'Good question. I mean; it can't be from my parents, or John. Hmm, I wonder who sent it.'

'Only one way to find out.'

'I suppose,' he grabbed the package and unwrapped it slowly. Lily gasped audibly, and James' jaw dropped. Lying in front of him on the bed was the most magnificent broomstick he'd ever seen.

'Oh James! Who sent you that?'

'Here, let's see. There's a card …'

_ _

_James (it read)_

_ _

_Sorry if this doesn't reach you in time. I've been busy recently. Hope you enjoy it. If your game against Ravenclaw was anything to go buy, I'd say that you certainly will. If you don't recognise it, it's a new model, the Jet Force 12. Nice model. Have a very merry Christmas, and don't be fighting spiders in the Forest again._

James felt a funny jolt in the pit of his stomach. The note wasn't signed. However, James was pretty sure he'd encountered this person before on a certain escapade into the Forbidden Forest. He handed Lily the note, and turned to look at his new broom. It really was magnificent. It had a sleek, thin handle, a slightly thicker tail end of straight twigs, and a shiny, glossy finish, with the words "Jet Force" running up the side in silver. Lily put down the note and stared at the broom.

'Who sent this? James?' James was lost in thought, but Lily's voice snapped him out of it. 'James?!'

'I – I don't know,' said James truthfully.

'Who would send a present and not sign it?' Lily asked. 'It must've cost a fortune.'

'Someone who wants to stay undercover, that's for sure,' said James, glancing at the note again. 'Anyway,' he said heavily, attempting to change the subject. 'D'you fancy going and getting some breakfast?' Lily nodded.

On the way down to the Great Hall, James was lost in thought. He weighed up the situation. Some person, probably living in the Forbidden Forest, had, in the space of about a month or so, saved Sirius' life, given the four boys the hardest ingredient to procure of the Animagi potion, and sent James the best racing broom money could buy. He really couldn't understand why this person should be so kind. James' mind was temporarily taken off this, however, when he entered the Great Hall. 

The Hall always looked stunning in the run up to Christmas, but it looked as though Dumbledore had pulled out all the stops for the day itself. A dozen gargantuan Christmas trees stood around the edges, decorated with glittering pixies, glistening ice crystals, and miniscule golden owls at the top of each. In addition, each tree was surrounded by large groups of shimmering fairies, which were lighting up the Hall. The five ice epitaphs in the Hall had been treated with a tricky charm that actually coloured the ice.

James sat down and helped himself to some toast. He didn't feel hungry at the moment. He felt more like trying out his new broom. He'd realised that whomever it was who had sent the broom; they had sent it as a friend, not as an enemy. He suddenly laughed at the prospect of the seeing Sirius', Ben Coates', and above all the Slytherins' faces when they saw him with a Jet Force 12. 

When James and Lily got back to the common room, Lily said she had to write a quick note to someone, and so she disappeared to her dorm. James went up to his own and fetched his new Jet Force, and the accessories that Peter, Sirius and Lily had given him. Firstly, James attached Peter's map. He looked down at it and said clearly 'The observatory!' Suddenly, the compass began to spin rapidly, and finally came to rest on the south pointer. The distance measurer read one hundred and eight miles. James grinned, and grabbed Sirius' gift. The speed counter read zero, obviously, and the danger counter was flashing green. James chuckled, and picked up Lily's present. He attached it to the broom and pressed the red button. All of a sudden, the broom completely disappeared except for a yellow light where the red button had just been. James grinned widely. If he used his Cloak with this, he could fly anywhere, completely undetected. He pushed the yellow button, and his broom immediately materialised. James just sat there, taking in every inch of it. 

'Having fun?' said Lily from behind him. She was wearing her new cloak, and was carrying her set of Gobstones. 'Fancy a game?' James nodded, and Lily set up the pieces. 

Gobstones, it transpired, was great fun. The game was inextricably similar, according to Lily, to the Muggle game of marbles, except that the losing player was squirted with a foul-smelling liquid. After being squirted about twenty times, James gave up and went back to looking at his own presents. He had already attached his new wand holster and made it undetectable and invisible. James liked it – it made him feel important.

After a little while, James and Lily decided to return to the Great Hall for Christmas dinner. When they entered, they noticed that places had only been laid at the High Table; the house tables had been moved to the edge of the Hall. Dumbledore was there, with Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Loughran, Lennox, and Sinistra. In addition, there were a large group of third year Ravenclaws, a pair of Hufflepuffs, and a Slytherin. Dumbledore beamed at his students.

'Sit down, sit down,' he said, as Lily and James approached. 'It would have been senseless to use the house tables as there are so few of us. Sit down; the food will be here shortly.' James sat down and pulled a wizard cracker with Jason Mak, one of the Ravenclaws sitting next to him. James chuckled to himself when he saw Jason looking at Lily with shrewd interest.

'In love, are you?' said James quietly, as Jason stared at Lily. Jason went furiously red (a/n Sorry, Jas. I'm evil).

'Maybe not,' Jason whispered. 'But she is pretty nice.'

'You should get to know her,' said James, raising his eyebrows.

'Why? Aren't you interested?'

'I'm only twelve, for God's sake. I've got a bit more patience than you.'

'Obviously,' said Jason, grinning. At that moment, however, the empty plates and dishes in front of them were filled with food.

Christmas dinner at Hogwarts was something for those with large appetites. Large plates of succulent turkey, mountains of roast potatoes, large tureens of thick, rich gravy. Vegetables of every texture and variety. James was just tucking into some turkey when large jugs of pumpkin juice and mineral water appeared. Lily helped herself to a glass of pumpkin juice immediately. He had just taken a bite of his turkey when Dumbledore suddenly jumped up. There was a faint whistling coming from his pocket. He made nearly everybody start.

'STOP!' he cried. 'Stop eating! Do not touch the drinks, anyone!'

'Oh no!' said Lily faintly. She had just drunk a mouthful of pumpkin juice. Dumbledore looked at her.

'What did you drink? Lily? Lily?' Lily looked dizzy. She mumbled something incoherently, pushed over her chair, and immediately sank to the floor in a dead faint.

Ha ha. So, What is wrong with the illustrious Ms. Evans? Now, I'm sorry if this part is a bit tedious, I just wanted to put Lily and James together and see what happened. They're both far too sarcastic. That's what I love. Um, so yeah, reviewing would be kind, as this part is quite long. C'mon, I don't always wanna have to rely on people like Starlight, Naomi, Mladybug3, Twilight, Ana:), Kibee etc. I know I have loads more hits than reviews. Come on. I'll review your stories. Well, do what you like; I've decided that I don't care.

Ciao


	10. The Werewolf (10)

Hello, children. Sorry this has taken so long, but what with holidays, homework, food and so forth, I haven't been writing as frequently as I do usually. All right, now, let me just straighten this out. Lily and James are _not_ in love, and they do not like each other in that way. Yet. They are just friends. Like Harry and Hermione (except that H/H don't talk about their upcoming wedding and secret rendezvousing). And they don't realise until year – no wait, you'll just have to wait and see. Ha! And another thing. If this text is scaring you, then: 1) You need help. Now. 2) I can do this in html now, so you better get used to it. 3) It should make the story easier to read. If not, complain to me and I'll take absolutely no notice whatsoever. Read on, peeps …

There was instant uproar. Dumbledore conjured a stretcher immediately and lifted Lily onto it. He looked around at the students.

'James,' he said quietly. 'Go to the Hospital Wing. Inform Madam Pomfrey that Miss Evans is critically injured.' James mind had gone completely blank. His feet were carrying him off in the direction of the Hospital Wing, but all he could see in his mind was Lily's blank, expressionless face looking back at him as she fell onto the cold floor of the Great Hall. He shook himself mentally. This was serious – he had to get help, fast. He ran to the Hospital Wing, and found himself face to face with an angry looking Madam Pomfrey.

'What is it, Potter?' she said, eyeing him suspiciously. 'Shouldn't you be at the feast?'

'Lily – drank juice – poisoned – fainted,' James gasped quickly.

'Speak slowly, Potter,' said Madam Pomfrey, raising her eyebrows.

'It's Lily,' said James quietly, though he knew Madam Pomfrey could hear. 'She's been – she's been poisoned. Dumbledore's bringing her up.' Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand to her mouth, and surveyed him quickly.

'Right, Potter. Go and fetch Professor Turner. He may be able to help.' James nodded, and left the hospital wing. How? That was what was bothering him. How was the food and drink being contaminated? The faint whistling coming from Dumbledore – it must have been his dark magic sensor. James' insides shuddered as he realised that this meant the drinks had been poisoned beyond Stunning level. 

He was just walking down the corridor to the dungeons when Professor Turner bolted around the corner.

'James,' he said, panting. 'Who's hurt? Dumbledore told me to check the kitchens.'

'Lily,' said James quickly. 'She's been poisoned. Madam Pomfrey wanted to know if you have a antidote.'

'I'm on it,' he said, before rushing off in the direction of his office. James turned and started running back towards the Hospital Wing. When he passed the Great Hall, he noticed the Ravenclaws standing around, looking confused. Somebody called his name.

'James?' It was Jason Mak. 'Is she all right?'

'Dunno. Come with me, Jas. We'll go and see.' Jason nodded, and the two boys left in silence in the direction of the hospital wing. 

When they entered, they saw that Lily had been placed on one of the beds next to Madam Pomfrey's office. Dumbledore was standing over her, tapping her with his wand. He was surveying her condition.

'How is she, sir?' James asked, coming up to the bed. Dumbledore sighed heavily. His blue eyes were bright, and his aura was the very sense of power.

'I do not know. The curse was powerful –' his voice shook slightly, '– she may not live.' James closed his eyes, and felt Jason shudder next to him. Dumbledore withdrew his wand.

'Sir?' James asked, just about managing to keep his voice steady. 'How – how did this happen?' Dumbledore gave him a swift, piercing look.

'The same as last time, James, except that the curse was much stronger. You probably heard my sensor going off. The curse placed on this food was more than just a warning. There is someone close by – a supporter of Voldemort … Let us just hope he has not succeeded today.' James nodded, and suddenly felt anger coursing through him. These … people, if they could be considered that, were doing this as a _threat_. A mindless _threat_. It really was incredible, James thought, that people could be capable of doing such terrible things. He sat up on the bed next to Lily. Her skin was deadly pale, and the light from her usually bright green eyes seemed to have gone out. She looked peaceful … as though she was in enchanted sleep. James was only vaguely aware of a single silver tear running down his cheek. 

Dumbledore lifted his head, sighing. He once again put his wand to Lily's wrist. He tapped it twice, and sighed again. The aura of power surrounding him had gone; instead, he was looking tired and weary.

'No pulse,' he murmured softly to Madam Pomfrey, who shook her head.

'Is she –?' Jason said softly to Dumbledore, '– will she –?' 

'No,' said James softly. 'She can't – surely not –?' 

He didn't seem able to complete his sentences. Dumbledore nodded gravely. James let out a horrible moan; a sound he wouldn't have thought himself capable of producing Even Jason, who didn't really know Lily, looked close to tears. James felt as though a cold hand had wrapped itself around his heart. He brain seemed unable to take it in; it was all so sudden. It seemed only minutes ago that he and Lily had been playing Gobstones, smiling and laughing. He glanced down at her again, and a prickling, burning sensation appeared in the corner of his eyes. There was a wrenched feeling in his stomach, which had contracted completely. His glasses were misty, and he could hardly see a thing, 

'Sir?' he said weakly to Dumbledore, hardly able to find his voice. 'What ki –' he swallowed, '– what killed her?' He was vaguely aware of tears streaming down his cheeks. He removed his glasses, completely grief-stricken.

'That remains to be seen,' said Dumbledore heavily, wiping his eyes.

'Albus,' said an urgent voice from the door. It was Professor Turner. 'Where is she?' Dumbledore motioned to the bed. Turner approached, and began to touch Lily softly with his wand, as Dumbledore had. He sat for a few minutes in silence; his breathing coming in harsh, ragged gasps. It was familiar, somehow. Turner lifted his head after a few minutes, looking relieved.

'She's not dead, Albus,' he said calmly. Relief – warm, sweeping relief – flooded James at these words. 

'Not – not, dead?' James repeated. Turner nodded, and James suddenly smiled. He found it quite difficult. 'What happened, sir?' he asked, feeling much, much happier than he had a few seconds ago. Turner left the bedside and began to pace the room slowly.

'She has been poisoned with a lethal contaminant, known as Interitus Solution, but her strong immune system has prevented death. She will be ill for some time, unless I can make an antidote.'

'How long will it take to prepare?' Dumbledore asked.

'Not long. I shall start immediately.' He nodded to Dumbledore, and swept out of the room. James let out a relieved sigh and turned to Dumbledore. Dumbledore seemed to read his thoughts, but James spoke first.

'Was it Voldemort, sir?' he asked calmly. Jason shuddered at the name.

'Most probably not,' Dumbledore replied, looking at Lily. 'There is a Death Eater nearby.' James swallowed.

'In – in the castle?' 

'Possibly, although unlikely.' He sighed suddenly. 'Boys, I will leave you with Lily. I shall tell Madam Pomfrey you are allowed to stay. I must talk to Professor Turner.' He took one last look at Lily and strode out of the ward.

After Dumbledore left, Jason picked up two chairs and placed them next to Lily's bed. He sat down in one and motioned for James to do the same. He looked a little shaken.

'Jas? Are you OK?' 

'Er, I think so. My head just sort of – shivered. Probably just the cold.' There were a few minutes silence as both boys sat lost in thought.

'She's a good friend of yours, isn't she?' Jason asked, after some time. James nodded.

'Yeah. Lily's not what – well, she's not what Sirius would define a "girl". She's far more interested in stealing food from the kitchens than talking about boys and makeup.'

'She will be in a few years,' said Jason, grinning. 'You can hold me to that.'

'Yes, I rather think Sirius would prefer it if she were more into boys,' James smiled. 'She's a funny person.'

'She's a pretty gorgeous person and all.' James laughed.

'Yes, that seems to be unanimous. But I just don't see Lily in that way, as much as we joke about it.'

'Yet,' said Jason simply.

'Well, I'll inform you if and when that "yet" occurs.' Jason laughed. 'I'm hungry,' James added. 'Fancy coming down to the kitchens?'

'Ooh, much obliged,' said Jason, grinning. 'But how do we get there without being seen?'

'Ahhh! That is the secret of my success. Behold!' He pulled the Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket and put it on. Jason chuckled, shaking his head.

'An Invisibility Cloak,' he murmured. 'I should've known.' James removed the Cloak and materialised.

'Coming?' he said, lifting the Cloak for Jason to get under. Jason grinned widely and got under the Cloak.

'This is _weird_,' he said fervently, looking into the mirror next to Lily's bed. 

'Indeed,' replied James, as the two boys exited the Hospital Wing.

'I can't believe, that in two years here, I never thought to look for the kitchens,' said Jason, laughing. The two boys had visited the kitchens and were making their way back up the stone steps towards the hospital wing, talking and eating. 'How long did it take you again? A month?'

'A week,' said James, grinning. 'Sirius and I found them whilst, er, escaping from a rampaging teacher.' Jason stopped, laughing.

'That'll be a record. And how many secret passages did you say you knew?'

'Let's see … there's the one by the trophy room that brings you out next to Charms; there's one by the Great Hall that takes you to Dumbledore's office … but the best is the one that takes you to Honeydukes.'

'Honeydukes?' repeated Jason, amazed, dropping the apple he was eating. 'You know how to get to _Honeydukes_?'

'Yep. Nice, it is.'

'But I thought –'

'– that second years aren't allowed in Hogsmeade? No, they're not. But I wanted to have a look around. And Lily enjoyed her shopping.' He grinned, but the thought of Lily lying half-dead in the hospital wing wiped the smile off his face. 'Come on,' he muttered, 'we'd better get back.'

'Where _is_ the secret tunnel?' Jason asked, as they resumed their pace.

'That's a trade secret,' replied James. 'Hmmm. Maybe one day Sirius and I will write a book entitled _Secret passages of Hogwarts_.'

'For such a clever person, or so McGonagall always tells us, you're not very well-behaved.'

'Says that, does she? No, Sirius and I are hardly the most rule-abiding of people.' Jason snorted.

'More like the least.' They both laughed as they entered the hospital wing.

When they entered, they realised that Professors Dumbledore and Turner were back. Dumbledore was muttering to Madam Pomfrey, and Turner was bending over Lily with a small glass phial in his hand. He sighed as he pulled away, and spoke clearly to Dumbledore.

'I think she'll be OK,' he said. 'She'll wake up soon, though she'll have very little energy. She will need a long rest.'

'Good,' said Dumbledore sombrely. 'Thank you, Duncan.' Turner, whom Dumbledore was obviously addressing, nodded silently and slid out of the hospital wing. Dumbledore turned to James and Jason.

'You are both welcome to stay with Lily until she comes to,' he said quietly. 'I must contact the Ministry; I have something to discuss with them. I will see you both later.' He smiled slightly, glanced back at Lily, and then made his way out of the infirmary, closing the door behind him. James pulled up a chair to sit next to Lily, but Jason hung back, clutching his head.

'What's wrong?' James asked.

'I – I don't know. It's my head. It just – shivered, again.'

'What? Do you want me to get Madam Pomfrey?'

'No, I – it's gone now, anyway. I'll be OK; I think I'll go back to the common room. I'll see you later.' He looked completely rattled.

'Jas, are you sure you're all right?'

'Yeah, I'll be fine. I see you later, OK?'

'Yeah, sure. Oh, and Jas?'

'Yes?' Jason asked, his hand on the door.

'Thanks, for helping – you know – for helping Lily.' Jason smiled and walked out through the door, leaving James alone next to an unconscious Lily.

James didn't know how long he was in the hospital wing for. His watch was back in Gryffindor Tower and he had no wish to retrieve it. Lily was still unconscious after what seemed to James like about two hours. On several occasions, her chest had hitched slightly as though she was about to wake up, but she had merely continued her straight, even breathing. James was still slightly dizzy due to the day's events, though he managed to keep his head clear. He could still see Lily's vacant green eyes when she had fallen to the floor of the Great Hall. He could still remember the ripping, wrenching sensation in his stomach when Dumbledore had proclaimed her death. He shuddered suddenly; picturing what could have happened if Lily had died. His last words to her would have been "My God, I'm hungry". This may well have sufficed for Sirius, but James felt that if he had have known he would have been able to think of something slightly more imaginative.

But there was no point in thinking like that. The fact of the matter was that Lily was _alive_, and that he should be relieved instead of picturing her as a corpse. He smiled again as he looked down at her face. There was no denying it; Lily was exceptionally pretty. Then again, James reminded himself, that wasn't why he liked her. James had often alluded to the fact that Lily was far more like a boy than a girl. He saw her almost as a female version of Sirius. She was kind, and a good friend, and yet she had a fiery temper, and was inclined to take out her rage on her friends just as much as on the few enemies she had. 

James got up and glanced into Madam Pomfrey's office to check the clock. He had been in the hospital wing nearly three hours, and yet it didn't seem like that much. He returned to his chair, and his mind suddenly returned to Christmas lunch. _Who _could possibly have poisoned the pumpkin juice? _Why _should they want to anyway? James realised that he knew the answer to this. Voldemort. Whoever it was who had cast the spell didn't matter; it all came back to Voldemort. James suddenly felt an incredible hatred towards Voldemort and his followers. He was just about to get up when a voice interrupted him.

'Lost down Memory Lane?' Lily asked, softly. James turned and saw that her eyes were slightly open, and she was squinting at him. Because he had been lost in thought, he hadn't noticed her regain consciousness.

'Oh, Lil', thank God you're OK,' he said, hugging her. 'I was so worried.'

'Jesus! You sound like someone out of one of those cheesy Hollywood romantics,' she replied, laughing. James grinned. He knew Lily was back.

'Well, I thought it was very convincing,' he said. 'And if this is a Hollywood romantic, we have to close the curtains and indulge in certain passionate romanticisms.'

'Romanticisms, eh? That sounds like fun. Oh, but wait, I can't. It's Wednesday.'

'That _is_ a tragedy. You know, we thought you were dead.'

'How cheerful.'

'Ah, so you didn't have a near death experience, and see the Light?' said James fervently. Lily laughed.

'No, I was having an interesting dream about you and two people I didn't recognise.'

'Oh, so you're dreaming about me now? I had no idea your infatuation was this bad.'

'Well, maybe you can tell me about your associates. One – a boy – had flaming red hair, and the other was very pretty, so I was very upset.'

'I hope you're referring to a girl.'

'Duh. She had brown hair, and you were saying something to her.'

'I'm afraid I know of no beautiful girls with brown hair. Although I can think of one with red …'

'You're too kind. What about your friend with the red hair and lots of freckles?'

'Sorry, can't say I've met him either.'

'Maybe they're future associates, 'cause you looked about sixteen.'

'Did I look very handsome?'

'Oh, naturally. You had that geeky charm that comes from the glasses and messy hair.'

'I'll take that as a "Yes James, there were girls swooning at your feet".'

'There were, but that was because you needed to change your socks.' Lily laughed as James threw a pillow at her. 'Ah, you can't hurt me. I've just survived a near-death experience.'

'Touché,' said James, laying another pillow down on the bed. 

'Typical, really, for something like this to happen on Christmas.'

''Tis the season to be jolly,' replied James bitterly.

'Did Dumbledore work out who charmed the juice?'

'No. His sensor went of just before you fainted. Someone in the kitchens must have poisoned it just before it was sent up.'

'I shudder to think – ow!' Lily suddenly clutched her chest.

'Are you OK?' James asked urgently. Lily shook her head. 'I'll get Madam Pomfrey. Wait a sec.' He stood up and knocked on the door of Madam Pomfrey's office. As soon as she opened it, she saw Lily, doubled up in pain. 

'Hold on, Potter,' she said, 'I'll get her a painkiller.' She stepped back into her office and emerged with a small bottle of incandescent red liquid. She approached Lily, and tipped the contents of the bottle down her throat. Lily shuddered, and then her head fell back against the pillow. 

'She'll be unconscious for about half an hour,' said Madam Pomfrey, screwing the lid back onto the empty bottle. 'Her condition is very weak. I must inform Dumbledore that she is awake.' She turned and walked back into her office.

Dumbledore came into the ward about twenty minutes later. James explained quickly that Lily had woken up, but then she had had a slight relapse and Madam Pomfrey had put her back to sleep. Dumbledore surveyed her again.

'I think,' he said slowly, 'that Lily will be hungry when she awakes. James, do you think you could walk down to the kitchens and fetch her something.' James nodded before he realised what Dumbledore had said. He turned back, and was amazed to see Dumbledore smiling. 'I do not require an Invisibility Cloak to become invisible,' he said, whilst James grinned guiltily. 

'Oh, that,' he said. 'A present – last year – from my dad.'

'I'm sure you will enjoy it,' said Dumbledore. 'Anyway, I suggest you go. I will remain with Lily until she regains consciousness. I must explain something to her, but then I have business to attend to.' He sighed. 'I'm sure I can rely on you to keep her company while she is in here,' he added, eyes twinkling.James grinned.

'No problemo,' he said, before striding out of the hospital wing.

The house elves were ecstatic to see James back again after such a short time. He picked up some things for Lily, and left. He was just on the way back to the infirmary when he remembered something he had picked up in Hogsmeade a few days before. He ran up to Gryffindor Tower at high speed, found the still hot bottles of Butterbeer, and clambered back out through the portrait hole.

When James reached the infirmary again, he found that Dumbledore had left, and Lily was sitting up in her bed, looking very weary.

'Hi,' she said croakily. 'Where have you been?'

'Where else –' said James, grinning, '– but to run errands for her ladyship?' Lily laughed weakly.

'What did you get?'

'Let's see … some chocolat, pour la mademoiselle, et some Butterbeer, also pour le, er, you.'

'You see; I'm not deserving of your friendship – even if French isn't exactly your forte.'

'Well, tough,' said James, giving her a quick hug. 'You're stuck with me.' He grinned. 'Butterbeer?' Lily nodded, and he pulled the cork out of one of the heat-retaining bottles.

'Mmm,' said Lily, taking a swig of her drink. 'Lovely. Guess what? I saw you again. You were playing Quidditch this time.'

'Oh yeah?' said James. 'And was I flying superbly and brilliantly?'

'Much as I hate to admit it, yes, you were.'

'Ooh, goody. How old was I this time?'

'Younger. About fourteen. You were just flying around, showing off as usual.' James put on an expression of mock horror.

'Showing off?' he repeated faintly. 'Moi? I would never do such a thing.'

'You're right again. Damn. Isn't there anything bad about you?'

'Let's see. Well, you have to define "bad". Would you consider putting certain members of a certain rat-house in torment all the time "bad"?'

'As the only alternative is that you're perfect … yes.'

'Perfect? Me?' James laughed. 'Good one. In terms of being a friendly person, perhaps, but I wouldn't call myself perfect.'He cackled suddenly.

'What?'

'Just wondering how I could attach a hose of water to your bed without anyone noticing.'

'Ha! You can't fool me, Potter. You're using that as an excuse to stare at me.'

'Rats,' said James, grinning. 'You've foiled my evil plan. Oh well.' He continued to stare at her, trying not to laugh.

'Is there something comical about my appearance?' she said, in an uncanny impersonation of Professor McGonagall, pulling her face closer to James, for whom this was too much, and he fell about laughing.

'Oi! What the hell are you doing? Wake up!' James jerked his eyes open. He was somewhere that he didn't recognise. Then he realised that he was right next to the lake, not far from the entrance to the Whomping Willow. He turned to see who had woken him. It was Remus.

'Remus, what the –?' He began, but his words were suddenly cut off. Remus was becoming larger, his whole profile was shaking, and hair was sprouting all over his body. James tried to scream, but no sound emerged. The werewolf bared its fangs, but suddenly there was a flash of light, and it fell, motionless, to the floor. It morphed slowly into Professor Turner, who hissed, and said 'Good comes in many forms. Evil comes in many more. Don't let it get you, James!' before he disappeared. James looked up to see who had saved him. It was, inexplicably, Lily, her wand held out in front. James called to her, but she slipped from view. James followed, and saw that she was talking to someone else – hugging him, kissing him – it was Jason Mak. He meant to say that he was happy for them, but instead let out a howl like a wounded dog. He watched as Lily and Jason slowly disappeared from view, and were instantaneously replaced by two Dementors. They were closing in on him – their slow, rattling breath becoming louder. James felt the air turn cold and turned away, but suddenly, a bright, dazzling object charged at the Dementors, making them retreat. James turned around to see himself, holding a wand – but he had _green_ eyes, and a curious scar on his forehead. He saw this person, whoever it was (It couldn't be him) staring at the silver, dazzling figure. His replica muttered 'Prongs,' softly, before he slipped from view, and everything went black.

'James! James! Are you all right? James, what's wrong?' James looked up and the hospital wing slid into focus. He realised that his vision was blurred – he wasn't wearing his glasses. He reached out for them, and found them being thrust into his hands by who could only be Lily. He put them on again, and was able to see Lily's face clearly.

'James?' she said. 'Are you OK? You were shouting something.' She looked remarkably pale, although, James reminded himself, that that was because she'd just recovered from taking Interitus Solution. 'What's wrong?' said Lily again.

'I'm OK, Lil',' he said weakly. 'I was just having a friendly nightmare. Not immensely dissimilar from your own dreams, I perceive.' Lily looked at him, clearly shaken.

'What –' she said, breathing hard, '– did you see in the dream.' James squinted his eyes, trying to remember the dream. He could only vaguely remember.

'Er – well, you were in it ('Seems I'm not the only one with an infatuation,' Lily interjected), yeah,' he added, grinning. 'Er, I don't really remember, I just remember seeing myself, but with green eyes. The same colour as yours. I was talking to a large silver thing. It was a Patronus, because I – or whoever that person was, he looked a lot like me, except for the eyes and a funny scar – got rid of a group of Dementors with it.'

'But why should your eyes be green?' James shrugged, when Madam Pomfrey suddenly emerged from her office, looking amiable. 

'Ah, you're awake again,' she said cheerfully, looking to Lily. She was holding a goblet of what in James' mind looked like some form of foul medicine. Lily appeared to be thinking along the same lines, as she had pulled her face into a grimace.

'Lucky me,' she muttered derisively, causing James to laugh. Madam Pomfrey smiled in a way that suggested that she was a lot happier that Lily was taking this potion and not her.

'Here you are,' she said, passing Lily the goblet. Lily looked at the goblet as though it was about to explode, tipped her head back, and swallowed the medicine. She rounded this off with a minor fit of coughing and spluttering, and only stopped when James clapped her heavily on the back.

'Ow!' she said, as soon as James had withdrawn his hand. James grinned.

'Better to be living with a broken spine than die coughing.'

'I wouldn't be so sure of that, Potter,' said Madam Pomfrey, smiling. She turned to Lily. 'That's your last dose for today–' Lily cheered, '– but the drowsiness effects should kick in soon. Potter, you can stay with her.' She nodded to them and walked back to her office.

James stayed with Lily for about an hour before she suddenly fell asleep, pouring half of her bottle of Butterbeer onto James' lap. After a quick cleaning charm, James grinned at Lily's peaceful figure, bade goodnight to Madam Pomfrey, and left for Gryffindor Tower.

The Fat Lady was asleep when James arrived, but he managed to wake her with a few well-chosen comments. She woke up, muttering something about the youth of today, before swinging open to provide James access to the common room. James was just pondering whether to go to the kitchens for some food, when a voice behind him made him jump out of his skin.

'_There_ you are,' a loud voice said from behind him. James turned and saw Remus, grinning at him. He looked incredibly pale. 'Merry Christmas to you too,' he said, looking at James' amazed face.'

'Two things,' said James, whilst his heart rate returned to normal. '_Never_ do that again, and why the hell are you here. I thought you were with your folks for Christmas. Remus then did the last thing James would have expected. He burst into tears.

'Remus?' said James urgently. 'What's wrong?'

'I – I don't know,' he began, through ragged gasps. 'One minute they were there, and when I got back – there was nothing.' James understood very little of this. He summoned some of the chocolate from his room – a chocolate frog – and passed it to Remus.

'Here you are,' he said soothingly, sitting Remus in one of the large armchairs. 'Tell me what happened.'

'Well,' Remus began. 'It was my transformation yesterday. I was lucky that it wasn't Christmas – anyway, a long time ago, my parents and I decided that it was cruel to lock me up in the basement – they can't stand the howling. Instead, they take me to a forest nearby.' He paused, looking at James' horrified look. 'Yes, they do let me go free, but that forest is literally crawling with dark creatures. Nobody ever goes near it, so it isn't really that bad to let me go. Anyway, I don't think my transfiguration was too bad. I woke up very early this morning with thick bloodstains on my hands. At first I was horrified that I had killed someone, but I came across several dismembered rabbits not far from where I woke – that alleviated my fears slightly, so I headed home.' He dabbed his eyebrows.

'The only thing was, that when I got back, the house was completely empty. No mum, no dad. After the initial shock – I'm sure you can imagine –' James nodded, '– I checked their room. Most of the stuff was still there, but a few clothes were missing, which calmed me slightly. If they went on purpose, it was probably unavoidable. I also noticed something else. My mum's engagement ring had gone too. That ring is seriously powerful; it's something like a Philosopher's stone locator, or something similar, if treated with the right charm. My mum can fit it over her finger, but doesn't like to. She's really paranoid about having it stolen. So, she keeps it hidden in a secret place, and I only know about it because I came across it once whilst searching for my teddy bear. Long story,' he added, as James grinned. 

'Anyway, I decided not to bother hanging around. If mum and dad left on purpose, it's highly likely they'll send me a letter. I contacted one of my dad's close friends and he arranged for a Portkey to bring me here. I arrived about an hour ago, and I was waiting for you and Lily. Hey, where is she?' 

James sighed and began to explain to Remus everything that had transpired since Christmas lunch. He explained how the pumpkin juice had come up, how Dumbledore's sensor had gone off, how Professor Turner recognised the symptoms of Interitus Solution, and how Lily had finally recovered. When he finally finished, with only a couple of interruptions (Mostly Remus' gasps) he relaxed, and sat back in his armchair. There were a few minutes silence. Remus was still taking the whole thing in.

'Incredible,' he said, after a few minutes. 'Absolutely incredible. I _can't_ believe it.' He sighed. 'All right, you've explained about Lily. Fair enough. So, what did you do before these exciting events?' James suddenly grinned.

'Oh, Lily and I had a little day out.'

'A day out? Where?'

'Hogsmeade.'

'_Hogsmeade_?'

'The very same. We had some good fun, Lil' and me.' Remus raised his eyebrows.

'Oh, it's "Lil'" now, is it?' he said, grinning. 'Have you two been cuddling up to each other in this –' he glanced out of the window, '– _awful_ weather?'

'Oh yes, we've been unable to keep our hands of each other,' said James, smiling. 'And we've found some very, very secret cupboards …'

'All right, I don't want to hear any more. You know, you're supposed to flush purple and deny everything.'

'Supposed being the operative word.' Remus laughed. 

'Oh dear, Jay, where would we be without you?'

'I'unno. Australia?' Remus laughed harder. 'What?' James asked, innocently. 'What?' Remus laughed again and stood up.

'Oh,' he said. 'It's good to be back. So, what did you get for Christmas?'

'Oh, how could I have forgotten to tell you? _Accio Jet Force!_ ' James fought hard to keep his face straight as he watched Remus' expression when his broom entered.

'Wow,' was all Remus said, as James passed him the Jet Force and he studied it carefully. 'Wow,' he repeated. 'Who sent you this?' James grin faded a little, and Remus noticed.

'No, wait, let me guess,' he said. 'It was our little leafy friend, wasn't it?' James nodded. 'Hmm … who'd spend this much on you?'

'Maybe it's my long-lost brother, or something.'

'Or not,' replied Remus simply.

'I really don't care who sent it,' said James indifferently. 'I'd just like to know _why_.' Remus nodded, and suddenly yawned. 'You sound tired. Do you want to go down to the hospital wing?'

'Nah. I'll just go to bed. It's not _that_ early. You coming?'

'Yeah.' As he got up, James noticed the Famous Witches and Wizards card on the floor. He glanced at it, and saw that it was describing someone called "King Midas". Knowing nothing about this person, James threw the card into the fire, and followed Remus over to the door that led to the dormitories. 

James woke very late on Boxing Day. After slipping his glasses on, he saw that Remus was already up, and had left the dormitory. Not having the energy to get dressed, he simply slipped on his dressing gown and walked down to the dormitory.

Remus was in the corner, reading a book.

'Morning,' he said amiably. 'Fancy going to see Lily?'

'Sure,' said James. 'Let's go now, I have neither the time nor effort to get dressed.'

'I like your attitude, Mr. Lazy-Git. Come one then. They set off down the castle, a few of the portraits giving James odd looks. James was describing to Remus the day that he and Lily had spent in Hogsmeade. Remus struggled to keep a straight face. 

'Ooh, you'll have to bring Sirius, Peter and me along next time,' said Remus, laughing.

'I'll have to,' said James, mimicking Remus' tone, and laughing, they entered the hospital wing.

Lily looked a lot more cheerful than she had on Christmas day. She was still deadly pale, but she smiled when she saw James. When Remus entered, she started.

'Remus! What are you doing here?'

'Long story,' said Remus, with a sidelong glance at James. 'We'll tell you later.'

'Ah, what is this, James?' she asked, grinning. 'Trying to entice me with your pyjamas?'

'I don't need pyjamas for that,' he replied, laughing. Remus raised his eyebrows.

'Is this some James-Lily flirting thing that I should know about?' he asked.

'Hmmm. Yep.'

'We're magnetically attracted,' said Lily, chuckling. 'Or so Lover-boy thinks.'

'How interesting,' said Remus. 'So when the flirting stops, you'll actually like each other?'

'Nope. It'll never stop.'

'So you'll never like each other?'

'I doubt it,' they said at the same time, and burst out laughing. Remus was about to say 'Barking', when an owl suddenly swooped in through the window. James noticed it too. It had caught his attention, because it was bright _black_. 

'What the hell?' Lily said, spotting the owl. 'What've you been feeding Mercury, James?'

'It's not Mercury,' said James. 'Hey, Remus, there's a letter. Read it.' Fingers shaking slightly, Remus took a small envelope and opened it. He stared at the letter, and fainted immediately. Lily screamed, and leapt out of bed to help him. James grabbed the letter, and felt as though a large weight had just hit him in the stomach. He read aloud.

_'Mr Lupin,_

_ _

_You must realise that I hold no personal vendetta against you, my boy, but I have an important matter to discuss. I have your parents with me here. Your mother sends her love. Love is a foreign emotion to me, so I'm sure you'll appreciate it if I don't send mine. To business. I want to know where the Jade Ring is. Your mother claims not to have it, and I crave its whereabouts. Please feel free to reply, and if you deliver the stone, I will release your parents. Consider it carefully. If I have no reply, I will be forced to harm your beloved mother and father. And werewolves are very rarely trusted by our kind; an orphan werewolf would be even more so._

_ _

_Lord Voldemort.'_

_ _

_ _

Right, so now we finish. This is getting rather sinister, wouldn't you say? Speaking of which, check out the two stories by Cassandra Claire. Superb fics. I apologise again for the delay. I've been helping my sister with her fic, Harry Potter – Big Brother, which is submitted under her pseudonym, Rainbow Kitty. Thanks again to all the loyal reviewing crew:

The ever-pedantic Starlight (I bet you would make/are a great beta-reader, Kim. I'll rely on you to highlight all the lovely mistakes *Cackles*. I love you really. And you're right about "Enervate" - I can't read …), my fellow Brit, the illustrious Ana:), my most loyal and best reader, Twilight and Silence (Love ya, TS), the heroic gumdrop (stories definitely worth checking out. Rainbow says ta for the reviews. The food bit is just an issue with me), another loyal reviewer, Naomi (Tell me if you discover that Butterbeer recipe), Good old Mladybug3 (If you and your friend are like Lily and James, you should beware. Heart-breaking revelations next year), Turkey (You made me all big-headed after your comment. Cheers), fairyfly, (I read WEREWOLF, I can't remember if I reviewed it or not. If not, it's great!), ClayZebra (No, I never liked the L/J hate fic idea. I figured they'd be somewhat similar to Harry and Hermione in terms of friendship. Thanks), MLI (Somewhat original comment, but I appreciate it all the same)

I love you all, children. I also have yet another excuse for the lateness of this chapter. I've been planning quite a bit of year three. I've got a SH song written, and a basic plot outline. It'll probably be called – no wait, you'll have to wait and see. No complaints about the boringness and tedium of this chapter. I'm told and I'll most likely ignore you.

Ciao


	11. The Werewolf (11)

Sigh. Back again. 

'Oh my God,' said Lily, when James finished reading. 'Oh my God,' she repeated faintly. 'But – but why –?' James shrugged.

'Who knows?' he said grimly. '_Enervate!_' (a/n There you go, Kim)

'What – wh – where – how?' said Remus intelligently when he woke up. He spotted the note again and his skin went from its usual pallor to the whiteness of snow. He coughed harshly and lay down on the bed, tears appearing at the corners of his eyes.

'Look, Remus, don't cry –' James didn't really know what to say. He placed his hand consolingly on Remus' shoulder.

'James? What's the Jade Ring?'

'I'll tell you later, Lil',' he said pointedly, looking at Remus. 'Remus? Do you want to go back up to the common room?' Remus nodded his head silently through tears, and James steadied him onto his feet. He looked completely dumbstruck, and James could hardly blame him.

*

'Remus, I'm really sorry –'

'Save it,' said Remus sharply. 'Just – just leave me alone.' He glared at James before running up to the dormitory. He and James had just returned from the hospital wing. They had walked to Gryffindor Tower in silence. James didn't even bother to go after Remus – instead, he walked over to the chair by the fireplace and sat down, exhausted. He was amazed at the number of events that had transpired since Christmas. Poor Remus, he thought, if your parents are dead, at least you know that they can't be harmed any longer. But to be Voldemort's prisoners – James shuddered at the prospect. What he really needed to ask Remus, when the opportunity arose, was what the Jade Ring did. He considered this for a few minutes, when something outside caught his attention. It was a small owl, tapping on the window. James got up, strode over to the window, and flung it open. The small bronze owl entered the room, dropped a small package on one of the armchairs, and flew back out into the light December sky, without any worries for Voldemort or his schemes. James closed the window, and walked back to look at the package. He started when he saw it was addressed to Remus. Should he open it? He thought not, somehow, but his fingers seemed to be thinking for him. Before he even realised what he was doing, he had shed the envelope and was unfolding the letter.

A small, bright object fell out and dropped to the floor. James gasped audibly. It was a handsome silver ring, with a large green stone embedded into it. It shimmered mysteriously, and James could tell two things immediately. Firstly, that it was a magical object, and secondly that it was the Jade Ring. He picked up the note.

_Son, _

_ _

_He's found us. We won't be around for a while. We need you to keep the Ring; we can't let the Dark Lord get hold of it. Take care – we'll always love you_

_ _

_Mum and Dad_

_ _

The letter was blotted in some places – it looked as though Remus' mother or father had cried onto the parchment whilst writing. James felt a tear rise in the corner of his own eye, and he shook it away. He picked up the Jade Ring, tensing. It was very likely to be enchanted to fit anyone's hand. He had just lifted it to his hand, when …

'Don't,' said a soft voice from the corner of the room. Remus was standing there, his face red and tearful.

'Oh Remus, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to –'

'Forget it. I snapped at you unnecessarily – call it your revenge. I knew it would arrive.'

'How?'

'My mum and dad were probably subjected to Veritaserum. They told him it was coming here.'

'Why can't I wear it?'

'Because you can't just wear the Jade Ring. It's too powerful. You can't wear it unless you're an Heir of one of the Hogwarts Four. If you do, it'll burn your fingers off.' 

'What?' said James, astounded. 'Your mum is an Heir of one of the Hogwarts Four?' 

'Yes; Helga Hufflepuff. That's why I was so amazed to be in Gryffindor. I thought I'd be in Hufflepuff for sure.' James' brain was still taking this in.

'You mean to say,' he said. 'That your mum is directly descended from Hufflepuff?'

'Yep. Voldemort wants it because he's the Heir of Slytherin. That's what she told me, anyway.'

'Then that means that you can wear it,' said James slowly.

'Yes,' said Remus simply. 'Watch.' He took the Ring from James and slowly moved it towards his hand. James gripped Remus' shoulder, whilst Remus closed his eyes, stuck out his finger, and placed the Ring over it.

A bright, dazzling white light shot upwards from the Ring, and disappeared into the air. James looked out of the window and saw it, soaring higher and higher, before finally disappearing. He turned back to Remus, who looked dumbfounded, although he was still wearing the ring.

'What the hell was _that_?' said James, staring out of the window and then looking at Remus. 'What was it?'

'I don't know,' Remus, looking just as perplexed. 'I've never seen mum put it on before. I don't know what that was.' He looked back at the Ring. The jade stone in the centre was positively glowing, and showed no signs of dimming.

'This is really weird,' said Remus fervently. 'I've never seen it _glow_ like this before.' He glanced back at James. 'Any idea why that might be?'

'No,' said James. 'I don't really know how that thing works. Couldn't you look it up?'

'Possibly,' said Remus, and the conversation dwindled down to silence, as both boys sat lost in thought. Remus took his parents' letter, read it quickly, and burst into tears again. This made James, who was just getting accustomed to the stillness and peace, jump about a foot off his chair. He tried to comfort Remus, but again Remus muttered that he wanted to be alone, and he left, leaving James on his own in the common room. James decided he might as well go down and fill Lily in – she would probably want to know the details. As he crossed the common room, he noticed Voldemort's letter lying on the ground. He felt a sudden course of anger burst through him, and before he knew what he was doing, he had pulled out his wand and shouted '_Incendio!_' The paper burst into flames, and James jumped backwards as though he'd just received a large electric shock. He stared at his wand. He'd never even learnt the burning curse, which was what he must just have performed. He had just executed a spell that he didn't even know. He looked at the shards of parchment lying on the floor, and left the common room, his mind spinning with questions.

*

Later that night, Lily, James and Remus sat alone in the hospital wing. James had told Lily about Voldemort, but not about the Jade Ring. This was partly because he didn't know much himself, and partly because he felt Remus didn't want people knowing about it. All three of them were very subdued, and didn't speak much. They had a pack of Exploding Snap, and were playing only half-heartedly. It was obvious that all three's minds were elsewhere. James himself was still wondering how he had managed to incinerate Voldemort's letter without trying. He was just wondering whether it was only anger that would instigate this, when Lily spoke, timidly.

'The rest – everyone else is coming back tomorrow, aren't they?'

'No, in three days,' said James quietly. 'Sirius is back tomorrow.' Lily nodded.

'Lily, I forgot to ask,' said Remus. 'What with my parents, and everything.' He winced. 'How are you? James told me about the pumpkin juice …'

'Oh really, Remus! That's not important! What's important is that you're OK. I'll be all right – Pomfrey says I should be fine by the time term restarts.' Remus grinned.

'You and James, you're both terrible. You don't care one jot about your own problems, you insist on helping other people. You're unnatural.'

'No,' said James. 'We're _friends_.'

'Oh, don't even get me started on _him_,' said Lily to Remus, pointing to James. 'You should have been with us yesterday, and when we went to Hogsmeade.'

'Why?'

'Oh well, first I smacked my head off a stone step, and – look, you can see the gash – James fixed it up with some clever first-aid spell. And then I didn't have any money, so he gave me half of his, and then I didn't have a cloak, so he leant me his while he practically caught pneumonia –' She went on in this vein for some time. All the while, James was raising his eyebrows, muttering things like 'Oh, and Lily _never_ exaggerates, by the way.' Remus just was laughing and grinning broadly as Lily went on. It seemed as though she'd been wanting so say it for a while.

' – Not to mention bringing me up here earlier on in the year, when I fell off that broomstick,' Lily finished. 'I mean, come on, James, can't you do _anything_ wrong?' James laughed.

'Is this some clever plot of all of you to try and give me a big head? Because it won't work.' Lily just raised her eyebrows at Remus, and he nodded, grinning. They all went back to their game, with Lily and Remus exchanging knowing glances every so often.

*

James opened his eyes, and looked around. He certainly didn't recognise this place. He glanced around, and noticed the sparkling black surface of water next to him, glinting in the moonlight. He looked around. This wasn't Hogwarts – it couldn't be. He looked around – they were some indistinct silhouettes in the distance, and James made for them. He approached them, but their faces were hidden. There were three of them. Two looked about James' own height, but one was much taller. James felt inside his pocket and pulled out the Jade Ring. He slipped it on, and grabbed the arms of his three companions. All of a sudden, there was a blinding flash of light …

*

James woke up to see the pale face of Sirius Black staring back at him.

'James?' said Sirius hoarsely. 'What's wrong? You were shouting something.' James sat up in bed.

'It's nothing,' he said, having already forgotten the contents of his dream. 'How come you're here so early? I thought you were coming back this afternoon.'

'Change of plans,' said Sirius. Where's Lily?'

'Long story,' said James. 'How was your Christmas?'

'Good,' said Sirius. 'Aunt Agatha made a rare cameo, and everyone was pretty happy. You?' 

'Me and Lily had some good fun,' said James grinning. 'And I got a nice new pressie, as well.'

'Define "having good fun".

'Does sneaking illegally into Hogsmeade and spending the day there count?' Sirius looked horrified.

'You found a passage to Hogsmeade without telling _me_?' he said, whilst James laughed. 'Despicable behaviour. Anyway, what was your great pressie?'

'You'll love it,' said James. '_Accio Jet Force!_' Sirius' face went from shock to pure amazement when James' broom flew out of his wardrobe and into his hand.

'You git,' said Sirius simply, staring open-mouthed at the superb broomstick in front of him. 'I'm thinking the Slytherins won't like this …'

'You think?' Sirius laughed.

'You were amazing against Ravenclaw and that was on an old Lightspeed. On a _Jet Force 12,_ you're just – wow –' He was looking at the broom in a way that made James think it looked like he worshipped it. He was about to ask whether he should dedicate a shrine when Remus woke up.

'All right, Siri?' he said, grinning.

'Hi Remus. How come you're back? Did your parents get sick of you and kick you out?' 

Never, not in his whole life, had James seen a person's expression change in such a short space of time. Remus immediately stopped grinning, clenched his fists, and took on an expression of pure fury. James was about to say something, but before he or anyone could do anything, Sirius was suddenly lifted off the floor and slammed into the wall.

'You bastard,' he spat, whilst Sirius stared at him from the floor, lost for words, with a nasty cut just above his eye. 'You bastard.' He shot Sirius a look of pure venom and swept out of the room. Sirius just sat staring at where he had been.

'What the hell –?' he said weakly, turning to James, who was himself lost in thought. How had Remus done that to Sirius without a wand?

'I'll explain in a sec,' said James. 'But let me look at that cut first.' Sirius got up, and James saw that he was bleeding just above his eye. He muttered the same words that he had when Lily had cut herself, and, as the cut was only shallow, he was able to heal it completely.

'Thanks, James,' said Sirius, looking into his now unblemished face in the mirror. 'So, what's the matter with Remus?'

'Sit down,' said James. 'You've quite a bit to catch up on.'

*

As Lily had told James and Remus the day before Sirius' return, she was indeed able to leave the hospital wing the day before term started. She seemed her usual cheerful self, but James noticed that there were times when she constantly looked over her shoulder, as though expecting to be attacked any minute. Lily and James had managed to fill Sirius and Remus in on everything that had happened over Christmas. When they explained to Sirius why Lily was in the hospital wing in the first place, he had let out a vehement exclamation.

'Disgusting,' he had muttered. 'Filthy, no-good, bloody –'

Sirius and Remus, however, were not speaking. James couldn't see why, but Sirius flatly refused to apologise, as did Remus. In the end, fed up of only being able to be with one of them at a time, James had snuck back out to Hogsmeade with Lily, and they had stopped for a Butterbeer in the Hog's Head.

'I just can't understand why Sirius doesn't apologise,' said James furiously, clutching a mug of Butterbeer. 'Although I'd like to know what it was Remus did.'

'He's probably afraid to upset his image,' said Lily sardonically.

'Honestly,' said James, in another impression of McGonagall. 'When will that lad learn that friends are more important than images, detentions and food? Well, maybe not food,' he added, whilst Lily laughed uproariously.

'Oi,' said Madam Rosmerta, grinning, from behind the bar. 'Stop that! You'll upset my customers.'

'Rosey,' said James, smiling. 'You wouldn't throw us out. We're all drunk and silly. We'd burn the post office by accident!' Madam Rosmerta laughed, but she wasn't the only one. A figure in a thick, black cloak sitting in a dark corner laughed harshly, and stood up. James stared as the figure passed Madam Rosmerta a handful of silver Sickles, and headed towards the door. However, when he reached the door, he turned, and looked directly at James. James couldn't see his face, but the person muttered something. A small number of sparks flew out of the end of his wand, and he left the bar. James stared as the sparks began to from small letters in front of his face. Within a few seconds, a small message had appeared, floating in mid-air. James gasped, flew out of his chair, and bolted to the door. He left the pub, and looked around for some sign of the hooded figure. But he had gone. Sighing, James returned to the pub, where he found an extremely perplexed-looking Lily. He noticed the glowing remnants of the message fading from view:

_James – hope you like the broomstick _

*

Let me get this straight,' said Sirius slowly. They were back in the common room, and James had just explained what had happened at the Hog's Head. 'You saw the person who's been helping us and saving our lives and so on and you didn't even find out who it was? Useless, Jamesy, useless.'

'I suppose you could've done better,' said James, grinning. 

'Only if the person's parents had been captured by Voldemort,' said a bitter voice from the corner of the room. A few people looked up at the mention of the word "Voldemort". Remus had entered the common room, and was glaring at Sirius.

'Oh, get over it,' said Sirius harshly.

'James, what were you saying?' said Remus, ignoring Sirius.

'I was saying that you two are going to follow me, NOW!' He was remarkably angry with both of them. He could feel anger coursing through him. Suddenly, however, he lost control of what he was doing, and heard himself shout "Imperio!" at Sirius. This got a lot of people's attentions.

'Bloody hell,' said Remus faintly. James jumped back again.

'Oh my God,' he said faintly, and then made up his mind. 'Remus, come with me. Sirius, you too.' Remus hesitated, but Sirius, who was under the Imperius curse, followed without a word. 'We're going to see Dumbledore. Remus, come on!' Remus followed, and the three boys left the common room, now full of people swapping excited words in whispers.

*

'I – I really don't know what happened,' said James to Dumbledore. The three boys were in his office. Remus was looking worriedly at Sirius, who was absent-mindedly stroking Dumbledore's hat stand. 'I was just really angry at – with these two, and I didn't really think. I just heard myself say "Imperio". The same thing happened yesterday, with Remus.'

'Yeah,' said Remus. 'I made him slam into a wall without trying.'

'I feared something worse,' said Dumbledore, motioning to his dark magic sensor. 'However, you, James, are the only one who can lift the curse you placed on Sirius. I am confident that as you can inadvertently perform the spell, you can lift it as well.'

'What's the counter-curse?'

'It's not very complicated. Inimperio.'

'_Inimperio!_' shouted James, pointing his wand at Sirius. Nothing happened. Sirius carried on talking to the hat stand. 'Stop talking,' said James. Sirius stopped immediately. '_Inimperio!_' Nothing. James tried another three times with absolutely no result.

'Right,' he said, gritting his teeth, after his sixth attempt. 'Remus. You need to irritate me. Say those things you were saying about Sirius.'

'What?' said Remus harshly, clocking on. 'That even though I've been his friend for a year he doesn't even care that Voldemort's captured my parents?' Shut up, James thought, I don't want to know about your petty squabbles. Remus kept it up. SHUT UP! James screamed in his head. Suddenly, he felt his hand jerk out in front of him, and heard himself shout "_Inimperio!_" A dazzling ball of light shot out of the end of his wand and struck Sirius in the chest. He looked around, dazed.

'Ow. Where am I? I remember – floating. It was nice.' He looked around at the arrested looks in front of him. 

'You were, Sirius, under the influence of the Imperius curse,' said Dumbledore curtly. Sirius gasped. 

'How?' he said, faintly. 'I mean, who?'

'Me,' said James, holding up his wand. 'Yours and Remus' argument managed to get me angry enough to perform an Unforgivable curse.' Sirius stared at James.

'But – how? You can't do dark magic.'

'I don't know. All I knew was that I wanted you to listen to me. Hence, some subconscious part of me conjured up the Imperius curse.' Sirius just gaped at James, when Dumbledore spoke again.

'I think,' he said quietly. 'That you two ought to return to Gryffindor Tower. I must speak with James.' Sirius and Remus nodded. In light of what had just happened, they seemed to have forgotten their argument.

'Now, James,' said Dumbledore, when Sirius and Remus had left. 'You should know that I am not angry with you, but I feel I must tell you something I consider to be of importance.' He sighed, stroked his large Phoenix on the head, and then sat down behind his desk.

'As you said, a twelve-year old wizard performing an Unforgivable curse is unheard of. However, I have witnessed it once before.'

'When?' said James, interested.

'A number of years ago, when I was just a regular teacher, and not the headmaster, I had a brilliant student in my class. He was the cleverest boy in his year by far – not unlike yourself – and went on to become probably the greatest student Hogwarts has ever seen. 

'Now, this boy was a Slytherin, but despite this, he was good, kind and courteous. In those days, Slytherins were not quite as – prejudiced against – by the other houses –' James grinned guiltily. ' – However, many disliked this boy. Most disliked him out of jealousy, but others just didn't like being around him. Many feared him, but only once did I see him lash out.

'It was in his second year. He was the same age as you are now. I had a lesson with the Gryffindors and Slytherins, and I arrived to find this student having a heated argument with a Gryffindor. I tried to break the fight up, but then the Gryffindor boy made a remark about this student's mother. Never did I see such fury cross a person's face. It seemed almost inhuman. Before I could do or say anything, he pulled out his wand, and – I never did work out whether it was on purpose or inadvertent – he placed the Gryffindor boy under the Cruciatus curse.' Dumbledore let this statement sink in, as he got up and crossed the room. He opened a cupboard, and pulled out a strange looking basin, carved with runes and symbols James did not recognise. It was filled with a whitish, cloudy substance. 

'Well do I remember that event,' he said, looking into the bowl. Leaning closer, James saw the outline of a boy, about his age, apologising profusely to another boy.

'If he meant it on purpose, he covered it up well, for he never so much as insulted that boy again. In fact, as I remember, they became very good friends. Their names were Tom Riddle and Jonathan Davies.' Dumbledore replaced the stone basin and closed the cupboard door. He returned to his desk.

'Tom Riddle, also, was able to perform an Unforgivable curse through strong emotion. In this case – love for his mother, who was, by that time, deceased. Riddle became more and more powerful as he went through school, and, as I have told you, turned out one of the best students this school has seen. However, I always suspected there was more to Riddle than met the eye.'

'How do you mean?'

'In his fifth year, Riddle won an award for special services to this school. It is a long and complicated story, but Riddle supposedly rid the school of the Heir of Slytherin. Can you think who that person might have been?' James thought hard for a moment.

'No, I don't know of anyone who was expel – hang on, was Hagrid at school then?'

'He was, and it was he who was expelled.' James gasped, amazed.

'No _wonder_ he didn't want to tell us. But surely _Hagrid_ couldn't have been the Heir of Slytherin?'

'I said the same thing over and over again to Headmaster Dippet, but he claimed the evidence against Hagrid was conclusive proof. In the end, I persuaded him to let Hagrid stay on as gamekeeper. He agreed, somewhat reluctantly, and Hagrid has been here since. But I have always trusted him, and I recently found out that Tom Riddle did, in fact, frame him.'

'How?'

'Because Riddle resurfaced as someone else, someone different. He left Hogwarts and sunk deeply into the dark arts, as did Davies with him. I knew, when he resurfaced, whom he had once been, and that _he_ was, in fact, the Heir of Slytherin.' James realised that he knew the answer without asking.

'Voldemort,' he said grimly.

'Precisely. I believe that Riddle had some ulterior motive for framing Hagrid, but I could never prove it, and I never discovered that motive. Therefore, Hagrid is still mistrusted by many.'

'Even though he's innocent,' James replied.

'Yes, but as far as anyone else can see, Hagrid must have done it. There is hardly anything to connect Voldemort – the Heir of Slytherin – with Tom Riddle, whom most respected highly.' He lapsed into silence, and they both sat for a few minutes, thinking. James could hardly believe that the only other person who had performed a spell that complex at school had been Voldemort. He shuddered at the realisation of having something in common with him. 

'Sir,' he said, after a few minutes. 'Do you think that Riddle doing that spell had anything to do with him being an Heir?'

'Possibly, James, I could not say. Although that might explain why Remus cast a spell inadvertently. And now I have a question for you. Your friend Remus said that his parents were prisoners of Voldemort. Is this true?' James paused, thinking hard. Should he tell Dumbledore about the Jade Ring? If he did, then Remus would definitely have to hand it in, and he wouldn't want that to happen. They hadn't even worked out what it did yet.

'No,' he said quickly. 'He was just trying to annoy me.'

*

When James returned to the common room, it was fairly full. When he entered, however, the room went deathly quiet. James stared.

'What?' he said, as everyone had turned to look at him. Sirius, Remus and Lily weren't around. 'Oh right,' he said, clocking on. 'You people think I'm evil. That's understandable.' A few people gaped at him. 'Yes, well, you'd better watch out. I'm pure evil, and I can do Avada Kedavra.' At this, a number of horrified-looking first years sidled out of the doors. James couldn't help it – he burst out laughing.

He found Remus, Lily and Sirius in the boys' dorm.

'So much for staying in your own dorm, eh, Lil'?' he said cheerfully as he entered. 'What's going on?' he said to Remus and Sirius. 'No fighting?'

'Bad news,' said Remus gravely, holding up a newspaper clipping. James took it, and read the article.

**_Three dead in Death Eater attack_**

**_ _**

_Yesterday, Death Eaters killed three wizards in a vicious attack. Their identities are undetermined, but the facts stand as follows: the three men had been drinking in a pub with another friend. It seems that this friend, whom Enforcers are now searching for, was a traitor. He led his friends – all three of them Aurors – into a trap, where they were outnumbered and killed. Their bodies were discovered a little way off from the pub. Hanging above them was a curious figure – an apparition of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth. This skull has appeared in a number of other places where dead people have been found. It is thought to be the sign of the terrible You-Know-Who. Enforcers are being deployed to more parts of the country to try and stop this maniac before the situation gets out of hand. _

_ _

James stopped reading, and he suddenly felt it again. He felt the anger coursing through him. He tried to stop it; he tried to think of happy thoughts, but before he could do anything, the excerpt from the paper had burst into flames in front of them. James realised with a jolt that his wand was still in his pocket.

'What the bloody hell –?' said Lily faintly.

'Not again,' said Remus, with an arrested look.

'How did you _do_ that?' said Sirius, looking half-amazed and half-impressed. 'You didn't even use a wand.'

'It's getting stronger,' said James. 'The angrier I am, the more difficult magic I can perform. It's good, but not good at the same time.'

'How?' asked Lily.

'Well, it would be useful if I was up against a Death Eater, or something, but I have hardly any control over what I do. I mean; I put the Imperius curse on Sirius – not something I would have wanted to do.'

'You put the Imperius curse on Sirius?! At _twelve_ years old? Bloody hell.'

'Right,' said James. 'It's not good. At least not until I can control it.'

*

The rest of the school returned the next day. James, Sirius and Remus (who had resolved their argument) wasted no time in filling Peter in on everything that had happened over Christmas. He seemed somewhat unable to take all of it in.

'So, let me summarise,' he said, when they had finished telling him everything. 'James, you can do advanced magic without a wand through strong emotion – and you flirt an uncommon amount with Lily.' James grinned. 'Remus – you can do emotion magic as well, and your parents have been captured by Voldemort who's after that ring which only you can wear because you're a descendent of Hufflepuff –'

'I don't know that for sure. There may be other Heirs at the school who can wear it.'

'How could you find out?' Sirius asked.

'Good question. I suppose we could ask Dumbledore.'

'Anyway,' Peter said. 'Voldemort wants it, but we're not sure why because we don't know what it does.'

'Lily and I had a look in the library, but we couldn't find anything,' said James simply, as the other three raised their eyebrows. 'Yes,' he added monotonously, 'we we're snogging behind the bookcases. Will you ever drop it?' he said exasperatedly. 

'We're only joking,' said Sirius. 'You and Lily are about the most unlikely couple I can think of (a/n Dramatic irony rules all!). Well, maybe Snapey and Professor McGonagall …'

'Shut up, you sick, sick person,' said Peter. 'So, been quite an eventful holiday really, hasn't it?'

'You could say that,' said James. 'And I'm the only one who's been around to appreciate it all.'

'What about Lily?'

'She was unconscious for quite a while. And she doesn't really know about the Jade Ring.'

'Lucky you,' said Peter.

'Quite,' said James. 'Well, good to get back to doing something. I didn't get any ingredients over the holiday – too busy. Pete? Did you get that Phitring hair?

'Yep,' said Peter. 'Upstairs.'

'Good. I think that when you next transformation rolls around, Remus, we can have another little excursion. We still need some unicorn hair.'

'As long as it isn't blue, that's fine,' said Sirius.

*

Term restarted, and Hogwarts returned to its usual busy self. James had wasted no time in showing the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team his new Jet Force, and training sessions restarted with new confidence. Ben decided to try and keep James' broom a secret, so the Slytherins got a nasty shock when Gryffindor played them. In their lessons, the tasks were becoming steadily more complicated. James and Sirius had hardly any trouble at all, but Remus and Peter began to find some of the more difficult Transfiguration work a little beyond their capabilities.

'All right,' said Remus furiously one lesson. 'When, in my whole life, will I need to change a mug into a hamster? When?'

'That's not the point, Lupin,' said Professor McGonagall amusedly from behind him. She suddenly turned at a large explosion from behind her.

'Oops,' said Sirius. 'A little too much power. Sorry, Professor,' he added to McGonagall, whose eyebrows had been singed.

'Ten points from Gryffindor, Black, for – for – just for being you.'

'Do I get twenty points _for_ Gryffindor for being me as well?' Sirius asked hopefully.

'No,' said Professor McGonagall, looking at James, who had a large contingent of hamsters around his desk, and was trying to shepherd them into the cages provided. 'Potter gets twenty points for being himself.' James, who hadn't been listening, looked up.

'What? Oh, thanks, Professor.' Sirius coughed loudly, but sounded like he was covering the word "Favouritism", because McGonagall glared at him. 

The first week back passed without great incident. In potions, Sirius successfully managed to create an Invisibility Draught, even though he'd been told to make a Swelling solution. Turner looked mildly worried when things began falling off shelves off their own accord, but Sirius' laughs gave him away, and earned him a detention. Lily and James also managed to get themselves detention in History of Magic. Both of them had set off a Filibuster firework, and they had spent ten minutes bouncing off the wall in a shower of sparks. 

The weekend came, and James decided to go down and visit Hagrid. He went alone, because there was something he wanted to discuss.

'Mornin', James,' said Hagrid cheerfully, when James entered. Fang went beserk and began barking loudly, licking James' hand. James, however, removed his cloak and looked Hagrid straight in the eye through his glasses.

'You were framed,' he said bluntly.

'Yeh what? Oh no, don' tell me yeh've found out.'

'I don't know the whole story,' said James, quietly. 'And I don't particularly want to. I just know that you were framed.

'I was? Who by?' James started. He at least expected Hagrid to know.

'You – you don't know?' said James.

'Well, I knew I was framed – I didn' set nothing loose – but I don't know who was behind it.'

'I don't know either, Hagrid,' James lied. 'But I don't know the whole story.'

'I might tell yeh, some day,' said Hagrid, smiling. 'I'm glad ter hear yeh trust me.'

'Hagrid, you are not the Heir of Slytherin. Unless you have a very cunning disguise on.'

'Yeah,' said Hagrid. 'They never caught whoever did it.' James bit his lip. 'Yer a good person, James, you know tha', don' yeh?' James smiled.

'Thanks, Hagrid. What makes you say that?'

'Oh, you aren' th' only one who comes down here alone,' replied Hagrid. 'Lily comes down all the time.'

'Does she now? I expect you find interesting things to talk about.'

'Yeah. You.'

'Ah, well, Lily's obviously in love with me. She can't stop talking about me.' Hagrid grinned.

'Maybe not yet,' he muttered, but James hadn't heard, because Fang had started barking again. Lily was outside.

'Hi Hagrid, oh, hi James,' she said warmly. 'James, Sirius was looking for you. Said he'd invented a new form of explosive, or something.' James laughed.

'Sounds like Sirius,' he said, whilst Hagrid raised his eyebrows. 'I'll see you later, Hagrid. You were innocent, you know.'

'Thanks, James,' said Hagrid. 'Bye.'

'See you later, James,' said Lily, and James left the hut. He was walking back up to the castle, when something glittering near the lake caught his eye. He walked over, and gasped when he saw the Jade Ring lying in the grass. Why would Remus take it off, he wondered. He picked it up, and was suddenly hit with an urge to put it on. But he couldn't – what had Remus said? "If someone who isn't an Heir wears the Ring, it'll burn his or her fingers off." But James had to. Some part of him told him that he had to. He tensed, and slowly slipped the Ring over his finger. A dazzling white light shot up from the Ring and disappeared into the sky. James averted his eyes, and looked down at his hand. The Ring was on it, and his hand wasn't burnt.

Hmm. Heir of Gryffindor, perhaps? Yes, you've guessed it. That means Harry is an Heir of Gryffindor as well. We are sharp today, aren't we? I was thinking that when I finish this L/J canon I might write a Harry fic. Book 7 should be out by then. Ooh, I've been having some good ideas for year 3. In fact, some ickle hints have been given in this and the last chapter (If anyone can spot them, I'll be impressed), as to what it consists of. And I might even incorporate some romance (No! Not L/J! Well, actually, it is L/J). The usual crew of reviewers, plus a few friends:

Starlight {x2} (Your name deserves to be first, Kim. You're right, I _am_ a clever chap), gumdrop (The Jade Ring is important in the future – you'll see), Dark Eyes (What an original pseudonym. Cheers), crystal drake (Ok? I'm flattered …), silver angel~ (I screwed up the uploading of part 2. I put in BU2 instead of W2), Ana:) (Read chapter 10 to find out), *Magic* (Last but not least – thanks).

I'm very upset and sad that I didn't get a review from my most loyal reviewer *sniffs*, you know who you are, TS. Oh well. Also, thanks to anyone who's reviewed BU since I started Werewolf. At the end I'll write a nice reviews section with reviews from BU and W. 

Ciao


	12. The Werewolf (12)

Oh my God! No, it isn't a mirage. Part 12 is actually here! *Watches as many people {especially the seraphim} faint with shock. This part is dedicated to the seraphim, for being so patient, and to gumdrop, for being a superlative beta-reader and just a great person all in all.

James gasped. The Ring was on his finger, glinting in the sunlight and glowing strangely. But his hand wasn't burnt. This meant, he realised, with a funny jolt, that he must be an Heir to one of the Hogwarts Four – Gryffindor, probably, as both his parents had been in the same house. A strange sensation was welling up inside him. An Heir? Him? He suddenly felt very nauseous.

He looked up into the sky, where the column of bright white light had been just a few moments before, but now all he saw were various cloud forms and a number of tired-looking post owls swooping towards the Great Hall. He was just wondering whether he ought to go to Dumbledore and tell him about the Ring when he noticed something that made his heart leap into his throat. 

There was one owl flying alone, quite apart from its fellow birds, in a different direction to the Great Hall, moving swiftly across the front of the castle. There was nothing particularly unusual about that; many owls delivered to individuals in their dormitories or offices. Except that the owl was jet black. James didn't even stop to think. Although he was almost sure that this owl was heading towards Gryffindor Tower, it didn't seem to be rising. He had the Cloak in his pocket. He summoned his Jet Force, covered himself in the Cloak, and rose up into the air, after the owl.

James had only ridden on his Jet Force once before, in the first Quidditch training session of the new term. But its performance in relation to the Lightspeed was incredible. It turned at James' lightest touch, and seemed to read his mind and instincts. At the practice, Ben Coates hadn't said anything – he had just grinned broadly at James, which had been enough. Now, James was hovering the broom just off the ground. It was humming slightly, as though it knew that it was creeping up on something, and the importance for it to remain quiet. James followed the black owl around the face of the castle. It was clearly not heading for Gryffindor Tower, as that was high above it, and it still showed no signs of ascending. He followed it around to an exposed part of the castle he had never seen. It swooped suddenly, and James found himself in what seemed like a large stone tunnel, running vertically, floating downwards. Eventually, the owl came to a standstill, because there was a large circular window blocking its way. James hovered down slowly and looked through the glass. It was a large, circular room, with a number of comfortable blue armchairs and a fireplace in the corner. It looked exactly like the Gryffindor common room, except that everything was decorated blue instead of scarlet. The Ravenclaw common room. James laughed quietly as he realised he had found another common room without meaning to. Shame it wasn't Slytherin …

He watched as the owl tapped on the window. A rather pretty girl of about James' age came to the window and unhooked the catch. The owl swept in – the girl looked bemused to see that it was black – dropped its letter, and soared back out of the window, past James. James lowered himself into the common room just before the girl reached back up and closed the window. He landed, and stood up. The Ravenclaw common room really was very similar to the Gryffindor one, although it had many pictures on the walls of famous witches and wizards. The Gryffindor walls consisted mainly of embarrassing photographs, one of these being a picture of Lily and Remus curled up together that James had taken last year. The most frequent pictures on the walls in here, however, were of a very beautiful young witch, who James recognised as Rowena Ravenclaw. Her pictures, he was almost sure (although he couldn't definitely tell), were winking at him. 

He turned back, and noticed the letter that the owl had been carrying. It was addressed simply to "Mak". James wondered why Voldemort would send a letter to Jason, but was interrupted in his thoughts as the pretty girl picked up the letter, sighed, and walked over to a door in the far corner of the room.

James followed her, just managing to get through the door without being knocked out. She walked up a number of staircases until she came to a door marked "Third year boys". She knocked lightly, and someone inside the room muttered 'Come in!' The girl entered, and James followed, seating himself on a window ledge, still hidden under the Invisibility Cloak. There were five boys in the room. One was Jason, but the rest, his fellow Ravenclaws, James knew only by sight.

'Hi, Lis,' one of them said, jumping off his bed. 'What can we do you for?' He seemed unperturbed at her being inside the boys' dormitory.

'Hi Mark,' the girl whose name, James decided, was most probably Lisa, replied. 'Is Jason here? Oh, there you are, Jas. You've had a letter.'

'What?' said Jason. 'Who from?'

'Dunno,' said Lisa. 'An owl dropped it in just now. Here.' she passed him the letter. 'I'll see you guys later. Bye.' She smiled around at them and then left the room. Mark was still staring at where she had been seconds before, almost transfixed. James grinned from under the Cloak.

'What does it say, Jas?' one of his other friends asked.

'I'll open it later,' said Jason. 'So, what were you saying about the next Quidditch game?' James had been considering leaving at that point, but realised suddenly that the window next to him was closed and the door had been shut. He was trapped.

'Oh, Jake told me to tell you to get your arse in gear for the game against Hufflepuff.'

'Cheerful tactics,' Jason replied. 'I don't think he was pleased with the Gryffindor result, somehow.'

'He looked ready to murder you afterwards,' said Mark, grinning. 'Although I think he'd have done better murdering Potter …' The other boys laughed.

'Jake's worried,' said one of the two boys James didn't know the names of. 'That there might be someone better than him here, that's all it is.'

'James _is_ good,' said Jason thoughtfully. 'I just hope he stays on his old Lightspeed. That gives us half a chance at least.' Under the Cloak, James had to work hard to stop himself laughing.

'Ah well,' said Mark. 'You don't have to play him until next year now. Jack? Didn't you say you were going to try out for the team?'

'I was,' said Jack. 'As a Beater. But Smith – gentleman that he is – told me in no uncertain terms that I couldn't hit a white elephant on a black background. The epitome of encouragement,' he added, whilst his friends laughed.

'Quite,' said Jason. 'Anyways, lets see what we have here.' He had pulled out the envelope and started unfolding it. James held his breath. Jason quickly read the letter, and turned pale.

'Oh God,' he said, shaking. 'Oh no. Oh shit!' He threw the letter to the floor, breathing hard.

'Jas?' said Mark. 'What's wrong?'

'It's nothing,' said Jason, though it looked like completely the opposite. 'I think – I just need to be alone for a while.' 

'C'mon, you three,' said Jack pointedly to his friends. 'We'll see you in a bit, Jas.' And the four Ravenclaws sidled out of the room, looking concerned. Jason scrunched the letter up in his hand and muttered something incoherently. James stepped down from the ledge.

'He's after the Jade Ring,' he said evenly. Jason jumped. 

'What the hell?' he looked around feverishly. 'Who's there?'

'You invisible friend,' said James, casually removing the Cloak. 'Hello, Jason.'

'_James_? Don't sneak up on me like that. What the hell are you doing here? How did you get here?' James pulled out his broom. Jason's jaw dropped. 'You git. And I was just saying I hoped you didn't get a new broom.'

'That's not the point,' said James calmly. 'Voldemort – he's after the Jade Ring.'

'How do you know about the Ring?'

'Because,' said James simply. 'I'm the Heir of Gryffindor.' He pulled out his finger and showed Jason the ring. Jason gasped audibly, but he wasn't the only one. Lisa was at the door.

'Sorry,' she said, hastily. 'I didn't realise I was interrupting …'

'It's all right, Lisa,' said James courteously. 'Come in.' Lisa stepped in the room, and closed the door. She looked at James, blushing slightly, and seemed to see him properly.

'Hold on,' she said. 'You're a Gryffindor. How did you get in here?'

'That's not important. I had to see what was in that letter Voldemort sent.' Lisa gasped.

'What?' said James, looking at her.

'You said – you said You-Know-Who's name.' she said faintly.

'So I did.' He shrugged. 'Oh well,' said James, turning to Jason. 'Jas, do you know anything about this?' He showed Jason the ring. Lisa gasped again.

'The Jade Ring,' she said faintly. 'But then, you're the – you're a –'

'James Potter, Heir of Gryffindor, at your service,' he said chivalrously, bowing. 'Yes, I'm an Heir. But how do you know about the Ring?'

'My parents always talk about it. They won't tell me what it _does_, but they've been searching for it for years.'

'Same here,' said Jason. 'My parents just told me that only Heirs can wear the Ring. Voldemort's after it, apparently.'

'Any idea why?' James asked. Jason and Lisa shook their heads. 'Damn,' said James, putting his dragon-hide gloves back on. 'Oh well, nothing more to be learned here. If anything happens, tell me, OK?' Jason and Lisa nodded.

'Right,' said James, mounting his broomstick. 'I'll see you later.' He flung open the window, clapped Jason on the back, and then soared out into the early January morning. 

So Voldemort thought Jason might have the Ring, James thought, that was interesting. Was he bluffing? It was possible that he didn't know who had the Ring. If he'd used Veritaserum, he would have no need to send a message to Jason. Maybe he was narrowing down the possible recipients. Remus was one, because his mother would have been the last known holder of the Ring. Jason's parents were researching its properties. Lisa would be likely to receive an owl within a few days, he thought, as he swept through the Gryffindor common room windows. How wrong Voldemort was.

'It's my way of defying convention,' he said cheerfully to Matthew and David, who laughed as he flew through the windows and landed smoothly. 'Doors. Pfft!' They grinned, and James walked over to the door that led to the stairs.

'Hi Jamesy,' said Sirius, when James entered. He, Remus, Frank and Peter were playing what looked like a very volatile game of Exploding Snap.

'What's up, Jay?' said Frank, whilst the pack of cards exploded right next to him, singing his eyebrows.

'I've got something interesting to show you,' he said. 'Remus, where's the Jade Ring?'

'Oh, I put it in my drawer,' Remus replied. 'It was starting to hurt my hand.'

'Hmm … I wonder why that was,' said Peter, looking genuinely perplexed.

'Simple,' said James, his eyes flashing. 'The Ring's very powerful. The more powerful you are, the longer you can wear it.'

'That makes sense,' said Remus, checking his drawer again. 'That's why I could wear it for about a week, but not much longer. Now where is it?' He checked under the bed.

'It's not there,' said James softly. It wasn't a question.

'What the –' Remus straightened up and turned to face him. 'What do you mean?' 

'It's not there,' James repeated, sliding one of the gloves off his hand. 

'Then where is it?' said Remus, annoyed. James slipped off his other glove. He gripped his hand tightly, and thrust it out towards the open window. An incredibly bright burst of opaline white light shot from the Ring, and soared out of the window. Except that it didn't disappear. Remus and James watched, transfixed, as it headed for the Forbidden Forest. It struck a tree, which immediately burst into flames. 

'Shit,' said James, still staring out of the window. He grabbed his broom. 'Back in a sec.' He flew out of the dormitory, with Remus, Sirius, Frank, Lily and Peter all staring at him from the window.

'Bloody hell,' said Remus faintly.

*

James could see that the fire wasn't particularly strong, but he had to put it out before half of the forest went up in smoke. The thick smell of smoke met his senses. It intermingled with the fresh smell of the forest in early winter, and served to make James rather dizzy. But he kept his mind clear. Somehow – he didn't know how – he knew how to put out this fire. Letting go of his broom, he clenched his fist again and raised his arm. He pointed the Jade Ring at the fire. Another beam of dazzling white light shot out of the Ring. As James was wondering how many different things this Ring did, the light shot towards the flames. With a loud hissing, the light extinguished the flames. Relieved, James swung around, gripped his broom, and shot off back towards the castle. 

*

'Did he just –?' said Lily weakly, inside the Gryffindor dorm. She shook her head. 'What just happened?'

'He's an Heir,' said Remus slowly. 'The Heir of Gryffindor –'

'Bloody hell,' said Sirius. 'He must be powerful, shooting, well – fire and water – out of that thing.'

'Powerful is right,' said Remus. 'No wonder he could do the Imperius curse. And magic without a wand.' They all stood back as James swept into the room, his face pale.

'This isn't good,' he said simply.

'What isn't?' said Frank.

'This – _power_. It's too much. I can't handle it. Look what's happened to me in the last few days. The Imperius curse – the magic without a wand – and now the Ring – what am I supposed to do? I could have easily set you on fire just then, without meaning to.' The others just stared at him.

'I'm going back to my dorm,' said Lily quietly after a few minutes. She left without a word. Frank, Peter and Sirius quickly followed her.

Remus said nothing. He walked over to the window, and glanced out of it. He started to speak slowly. 

'I remember when mum told me about her being an Heir,' he said pensively. 'Didn't believe her at first. But she showed me this thing you can use to trace your heritage. The Ring.' He turned away from the window, and looked James straight in the eye. 

'If you place the Ring on your left index finger and say an incantation, it shows your descendent. Here, give it to me.' James, feeling slightly dizzy still, passed Remus the Ring. Remus took it, his pale eyes glittering in the light that was still glowing from it. He braced himself, and placed the Ring over his finger. The familiar beam of bright white light shot forth, and Remus turned to James, wearing a perplexed expression.

'Any idea why it keeps doing that?' he asked. James shrugged. Remus turned back to the Ring, and softly muttered '_Progenies_.' All of a sudden, the Ring started glowing a vivid bright green. Even the golden band of the Ring had changed colour. James stared, amazed, as a small figure began to rise out of the Ring. It was a small yet beautiful woman, and she looked no less than a shadow, with a misty and indistinct outline. She grew slightly larger, and her torso became visible. She was dressed in long, silky robes, which appeared green because of the light of the Ring.

'Wrong,' she said softly. 'This is wrong. You are wrong…' She shook her head sadly and the vision instantaneously disappeared. The Jade Ring dropped from Remus' finger to the floor, no longer glowing. James stared, but Remus looked perfectly nonchalant, as though he'd just been talking on the telephone.

'That's the third time I've done that,' he said, straightening his collar. 'And all three times Helga Hufflepuff has appeared saying, "This is wrong". Haven't got a clue what she means.' James nodded. 

'You're definitely Hufflepuff, then. Can I try?'

'Sure.' He bent down, picked the Ring from the floor, and handed it to James. James slipped it over his finger, and muttered '_Progenies_', as Remus had done.

A fierce blast of bright green light shot from the Ring and threw James back against the wall, hard. He hit it with a sickening crunch, and stared, dumbfounded, at the Ring. There was no ghostly apparition there, but it was glowing more brightly than it had at any point before. Remus stared.

'James?' he said, breathlessly. 'Are you all right?' James winced, clutching his leg. 

'Yeah,' he said, gritting his teeth. 'I think I might have sprained it. What the hell happened?' Remus shrugged, looking just as confused as James.

'I've no idea. You said the incantation … and there was just that flash of green light…' 

Come on,' said James, leaning down to take the Ring. 'Let's go to the hospital wing. I need to get my leg sorted out.' He rested his weight on it for a moment and turned a faint green colour. Remus nodded, and the two of them left the dormitory

*

'How did this happen, Potter?' Madam Pomfrey urged. James sighed.

'I fell down the stairs, miss,' he replied. 'What's wrong with it, anyway?'

'It's broken, of course,' Madam Pomfrey replied tersely. James felt himself go green.

'Broken?' he said, as though sure Madam Pomfrey wasn't quite all there.

'Yes, Potter, broken. But – see here – your bones have been twisted out of shape. It's a very rare and a very painful injury. I'll have to straighten them.' She showed James what looked like a detailed x-ray. He looked at it, and noticed with a sickening jolt that his right leg had been twisted so that it faced forwards at the top and backwards at the bottom.

'Why straighten them?' James asked.

'You don't want to walk around with twisted legs, Potter. You wouldn't be able to. Are you absolutely sure you weren't cursed?'

'Yes,' James replied, wondering whether this was true or not. 'I fell. Why?'

'Falling down stairs would not usually result in twisted bones,' muttered Madam Pomfrey, looking disbelieving. James could tell from her sceptical look that she clearly thought his broken leg was the result of a duel with another student. She nodded again, and checked her watch.

'You'll have to spend the afternoon and night in here, Potter,' she said simply. 'Untwisting bones is not a simple process. And it's incredibly painful. Would you like an anaesthetic?'

'No,' James replied. 'No point. Only lessens the pain for a short time. Might as well get it over and done with. When are you giving me the potion? Now?' Madam Pomfrey shook her head.

'As it takes approximately fifteen minutes to start working after you swallow it, I thought I'd give it to you shortly before you go to sleep. Now, I know Mr Lupin has gone to get you some food. Only he, Mr Black, Mr Pettigrew and Miss Evans may visit you, however. I do not need the ward invaded by distressed students. I'll be in my office if you need anything, Potter.' She strode off, muttering something about fighting teenagers. James laughed quietly, but suddenly winced at the pain in his leg. It made him nauseous just looking at it. His kneecap was now gingerly placed on the side of his leg. He summoned one of the books that Madam Pomfrey kept in the library for general use – _The dos and don'ts of human Transfiguration_. He glanced down at the first chapter. _Human to Bird Transfiguration_. He grinned at the picture of a man who had obviously attempted to transform into Phoenix, with gratuitous amounts of gold and scarlet plumage protruding from his rear end. There was also a very clever page that depicted a very skilled witch transforming into an Abraxan winged horse and back again. The book explained that though the winged horse was not strictly a bird, its ability to fly led to its inclusion in this field of Transfiguration. James was just reading a section on how Uric the Oddball had once tried to turn his manservant into an Augurey for the purposes of listening to its cry, when a voice interrupted him.

'And there was me thinking you were mischievous, Mr Potter,' said Lily slyly, entering the hospital wing. 'I just –' She was suddenly cut off as James pulled back the covers and showed her his maimed leg. She recoiled sharply.

'Oh James,' she said, horrified. 'What happened?' 

'Twisted leg,' James replied, with a wry smile. 'Not nice.'

'I can imagine,' Lily replied sincerely, looking repulsed at the kneecap on the side of his leg. 'Are you sure you're all right? Do you want me to get you anything?' James smiled.

'Ah, you truly are an angel,' he said, 'but I've already sent one of my servants off to the kitchens.'

'Ooh,' came a new voice from the corner. 'Does that mean I get to wear a posh black uniform with "JP" emblazoned on the front?'

'No, it means you get to do my homework for me.' He grinned at Remus, who had just entered carrying a platter of assorted savouries. 'Thank you very much.'

'My pleasure, your liege,' Remus replied, bowing deeply. 'OK, Lily?'

'Yes. Have you seen what he's done to his leg?' Remus nodded sombrely. There were a few minutes uncomfortable silence.

'Come on,' said James after a few minutes, pulling a pack of cards from his pocket. 'Let's have a game of Exploding Snap.'

*

'We're definitely going in tonight, with you or without,' said Sirius simply.

'Come off it,' said Remus, from the corner. 'That's the worst plan since the Head of the Drear Island McClivert clan turned to his family and said, "I know, let's Transfigure them old Macboons into big, murderous hairy creatures".' (a/n You need to have read FBAWTFT) Peter laughed, but Sirius looked obstinate.

'Don't be showing off your knowledge of Dark Creatures to me,' he said, in a way, which implied that, knowledge was pestilence. 'Look, we need to. We desperately need that –' He pulled out a small piece of parchment from his robes, '– Chimaera saliva …' He looked around to Remus and James, who were gaping at him open-mouthed.

'What?' Remus asked faintly.

'Chimaera saliva,' Sirius repeated. 'That's what it says here.'

'Sirius,' James asked slowly. 'Do you have any idea what a Chimaera is?'

'Kind of bird or something, isn't it?' Sirius said reassuringly. 'What's the problem?' James exchanged a worried glance with Remus.

'This is bad,' Remus said, voicing precisely what James was thinking. 

'How are we going to get _that_?' James asked, ignoring Sirius' blank look.

'Am I missing something?' Sirius asked. James reached over and picked up one of the books he had been reading – _Lethal Hybrids_. He skipped over the chapter on dragon hybrids, and came to the chapter he needed – Greek hybrids. 

'Let's see … Manticore … no … Skrewt … no … Basilisk … no, thank God … here we are … Chimaera. Read that, Sirius.' Sirius took the book, and quickly skimmed over the page James had found.

'Shit,' he said simply, after he had finished.

'I don't know if that's the colloquial term, but it's essentially correct,' said Remus. 'That's a very interesting type of bird, I must say.' Sirius glared at the note of sarcasm in his voice. 'I doubt there's even one in the Forest,' Remus added.

'There is,' said James. 'Loughran told us that weeks ago. You might not have been listening – he was talking about werewolves at the same time. He said that long ago, a whole colony of Chimaeras and Manticores lived in the Forest. To do with a Greek student, apparently. Anyway, there's apparently just one left of each.'

'How cheerful,' said Peter, voicing his first opinion.

*

'Good luck,' James whispered, as Sirius, Remus and Peter slowly left the hospital wing. They nodded, and slowly departed. James sighed, and rested his head back against the pillow. He had taken the potion a few moments ago. Might as well try and get to sleep…

James was in another place he did not recognise. He looked around. He could see a very pretty girl standing next to a boy who looked exactly like himself. The girl was laughing, and smiling, whilst the boy next to her spoke. James looked questioningly at the two of them. 'Can you see me?' he wondered aloud. The vision suddenly changed.

James was back at Hogwarts, entering an unfamiliar room. A large, ornate mirror stood in front of him. He noticed Remus in front of it. Not the Remus he knew, but a taller, slimmer, older Remus. He was staring at the mirror, transfixed.

'No werewolf,' he said hoarsely. 'A full moon. No werewolf …' James lifted his eyes. He spotted an inscription along the top of the mirror: _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_. He looked at it for a few minutes, and saw the hidden meaning: _I show not your face but your hearts desire_. He looked back at the mirror. It was still there … but Remus was gone. James stepped up to the mirror, and looked inside it, into a pair of bright green eyes …

'James,' the mirror said. 'James.' He looked again, and noticed a small figure, with red hair and green eyes. 'James … James! JAMES!!' 

James suddenly woke with a start. Lily was standing over him, looking concerned. He tried to remember the contents of his dream, but they were blurred, and slipping away from him.

'Lily?' he said, managing to locate his glasses successfully. 'What's wrong?'

'James,' she said breathlessly. 'I heard a scream.'

'Where from?'

'The Forest,' Lily replied. James felt an invisible hand smother his heart. 

'Oh God,' he said, getting up. A blinding pain in his legs suddenly threw him back. 'Argh! Lily,' he said urgently. 'Do you know any painkilling spells?' Lily shook her head. 'Never mind. Here, pass me that wand.'

'What?' said Lily, as though James was insane. 'What are you going to do?' James looked at her intently from behind his glasses.

'I've got to go in there,' he said simply. Lily gasped. 

'James! You can't!'

'I can and I will. The others could be in danger!' Lily looked at him for a few moments.

'I'm coming with you,' she said simply.

'I know.'

*

'James … are you sure about this?' James winced as he put weight on his leg. He was pale and shaking, but that wasn't important.

'Yes,' he said, mounting his broom. 'Come on,' he added, almost biting through his lip in pain. 'Jump on.' Lily did so, and the two of them swept off in the direction of the Forbidden Forest, the Jade Ring shining ominously on James' right hand

*

'Where can they be?' James asked for the eighteenth time. 'Are you sure you heard a scream?'

'Positive,' said Lily, shaking slightly. It was very cold in the Forest at night, and Lily was travelling on the back of a moving broomstick.

'Here,' said James, passing her his cloak. 'Have that. We need to go lower. Hold on.' He bent low against the handle of his Jet Force and guided it slowly downwards. 

The Forest was deadly quiet. There was a quiet rustling, from the light wind passing over the tops of the trees, but other than that, all was silent. The pine scent of the trees caught in James' head intermingled with the delicate coconut fragrance of Lily's hair.

'Have you been washing that in coconut milk?' he asked, amazed. Lily grinned. 

'None of your business. Come on.' She jumped off the broom.

'I don't think I can, with this,' he said, motioning to his twisted leg. 'You go, and I'll glide along behind you.' Lily nodded, and pulled out her wand. She muttered '_Lumos_!' and the dark coppice in which they were standing was suddenly illuminated. There was still a faint rustling and clicking sound, which made James start.

'Oh God,' he whispered. 'Avoid that clicking, Lily.'

'Why?'

'Long story,' he said. 'You needn't know the gory details, just avoid the clicking.'

Being back in the Forest was not particularly settling for James, far from it. But if there was a chance that Sirius, Remus or Peter were hurt in any way, they had to find them quickly. It didn't help, obviously, that his leg was broken. He kept it dangled loosely over the edge of his broom whilst Lily led the way forward. As they ventured further in, it got gradually quieter and quieter. James was under the impression that they were heading away from the Acromantulas (Remus had looked up the name in his Dark Creatures book), as the clicking had long stopped. There was a soft humming coming from somewhere, but it was too indistinct for James to determine what it was.

He and Lily carried on, further and further into the deep, dark forest. She started to shiver again, but James had an idea it was nothing to do with the freezing cold. 

'Are you all right?' he asked, gliding down and placing an arm over her shoulder.

'Yes,' she said, sounding completely the opposite. 'Can you hear that humming?' James nodded. 'What is it?' James shrugged, and suddenly drew back. A bush next to them had just shaken slightly. He heard what sounded like hooves travelling across the ground near them. He was about to say 'Get back' to Lily, when a creature emerged into the clearing.

James recognised it immediately. It had the head, arms and torso of a human being, joined to the pale body of a palomino horse. It didn't look very old – indeed, the head looked no older than James and Lily themselves. It came into the clearing looking slightly bemused.

'Hello?' it squeaked slowly. 'Who's there?' James lit his wand light, and the tiny Centaur started. 'A human!' it said excitedly. 

'Yes, hello,' said James politely. 'What's your name?'

'Er …' it looked like hard work. 'Firenze,' it decided, after a few minutes.

'Tell me, Firenze,' James said. 'Have you seen any other humans around here recently?' Firenze suddenly shook his head.

'The adults say I can't tell things to humans,' he said obstinately. 'Humans are not to be trusted.' He suddenly gasped, and looked closer at James, peering shrewdly into his face. 'It's –' he said faintly. 'You.' He finished. 'You're the one who came for the chest.' He threw back his head importantly, and looked to the heavens. 'When Mercury and Pluto are in direct alignment to the sun, then …' He suddenly lowered his head and looked at the two of them.

'Then what?' James urged.

'I forgot the rest,' said Firenze sheepishly. 'I was practising…' James gave Lily a sidelong glance. She was smiling affectionately at Firenze. 'There was something about a chest, and a beast … except I forget what …' James grinned.

'Never mind, Firenze,' he said. 'So, did you see any humans?'

'I did see some humans,' said Firenze, screwing up his face as though trying to remember something. 'They were heading for the Manticore cave.' He said this as though it was perfectly plausible for humans to go hunting for Manticores. 'Over there,' he said, pointing towards a path that curved off to the left. James wasted no time.

'Thanks Firenze,' he said hurriedly, and immediately he headed for the path, Lily close behind…

*

'Did Firenze – by any chance – mention how far away this cave was?' Lily asked between breaths. James shook his head.

'It can't be much further.' They had been travelling for at least an hour, through the thick black undergrowth. Their combined wand lights were the only things that allowed them to see, and even then they had limited vision, as the Forest was so dense.

'Hey, what was that?' Lily asked nervously all of a sudden.

'What?'

'I just heard a kind of – moaning. Probably nothing. I – Oh God. James. There it is.' She pointed forwards, and James, following her gaze, saw that she was right. The thick black cave lay just ahead of them. There was moss growing on the outside, and it looked as though no one had ventured in there for years. James approached the entrance, hovering just a few feet off the ground. Lily followed him, slightly more reluctant.

'Blimey, it's dark in here,' said Lily quietly, when the two of them were successfully inside the cave. James suddenly noticed, with a jolt of horror, that there were a number of bones spattered across the cave floor. He exchanged a nervous glance with Lily.

'Wands out, I think,' he said, muttering '_Nox_'. Lily followed suit, and the two friends continued, the only light coming from Lily's over bright green eyes.

'This is a long tunnel,' Lily remarked quietly to James, after about ten minutes of walking. 

'Damn right,' James replied. 'I wonder who lives in here?' His voice echoed ominously off the walls, and he could tell by the way Lily was shaking that she had no real desire to be in here. 'Do you want to go back?' he asked. Lily shook her head.

'Not until we find the others,' she said, gritting her teeth. They kept on walking along the long, winding path. James was reminded strongly of the passage to Hogsmeade, except that this path had a slightly stronger scent, one that smelled like a mix of moss and human blood. James' leg was still bothering him. Now that the potion was taking effect, the pain was almost inhuman. He had to bite his lip to stop himself from screaming. He couldn't keep it up for long, however.

'James!' said Lily urgently. 'Are you all right? _Lumos_! Oh my God …' She lifted her wand to James' face, and saw, with revulsion, that he had bitten through his lip in pain. There was blood flowing freely from his mouth, and it was slowly staining his robes. Lily was panicking, but James merely held a hand up to his mouth. It glowed again softly with an orange luminescence, and the bleeding stopped. He was able to speak, though he felt like there was a large hook through his lip.

'Come …on,' he said quietly. Lily, still looking worried, followed, though she looked rather unenthusiastic. James walked forward a few paces, limping on his leg, and then very cleverly tripped over a large, solid object. 

His pain was so great that he didn't think screaming would help in the slightest. He straightened up, and lit his wand to see what it was he had tripped over. It was a very large, ornate, gold-rimmed chest. It looked as though it was made of oak, and also looked as if it had been there a very, very long time. He heard Lily gasp behind him. 

'What's in it?' she asked.

'Ice cream?' James suggested. 'He bent lower, trying with all his might not to shout out, and noticed that there was a small golden catch on the chest. He flicked it back, and thrust the chest open. Copious amounts of dust and haze were thrown into their faces. Something was positively glowing inside the chest. James bent lower, saw what it was, and gasped audibly.

He didn't notice a red eye behind him open lazily.

Finito. That's the end of this chapter, unfortunately. Hopefully the next won't take as long as this did. You may not, unfortunately, understand all of the references in this part if you have no access to Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them by Newt Scamander. I can't be bothered with the thanks section – that's exclusive to BTTF. Suffice to say, I love everyone who has reviewed this within the last … month or so. Thanks very much.

Ciao


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